03.11.2025 13:06
The first Turkish plane landed at the International Sulaymaniyah Airport in the Sulaymaniyah province of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq after a break of 2 and a half years.
After the lifting of Turkey's flight ban that lasted for two and a half years last month, a Turkish Airlines (THY) plane landed at Sulaymaniyah Airport after midnight. The ceremony held for the landing of the plane, which had more than a hundred passengers, was attended by Sulaymaniyah International Airport Director Rebaz Muhammed Halil and THY Iraq Coordinator Halil Anlatan.
THE BAN NEGATIVELY AFFECTED TRADE BY APPROXIMATELY 35 PERCENT
Airport Director Rebaz Muhammed Halil stated in his remarks that flights from Sulaymaniyah to Istanbul would be conducted four times a week, saying, "It is planned to increase the number of flights in the coming months." Halil emphasized that the lifting of the flight ban is of great importance for trade, expressing that the ban implemented in the last two and a half years negatively affected trade by approximately 35 percent. The first passengers arriving in Sulaymaniyah on a Turkish Airlines (THY) flight expressed their satisfaction with the resumption of flights. One of the passengers said, "We are very happy to have come directly from Turkey to Sulaymaniyah. The journey has been significantly shortened. We thank the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, and the President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Bafel Talabani, for their great efforts to lift the flight ban."
THE LIFTING OF THE BAN WAS MET WITH JOY
Another passenger noted that the lifting of the ban has greatly facilitated transportation, stating, "Previously, I had to fly to Sulaymaniyah with a layover in Doha. I spent about 7 and a half hours on the plane, and then traveled for another 2 and a half hours, totaling nearly 10 hours. Today, however, we reached here in just 4 and a half hours from Istanbul. I believe this step will lead to a decrease in ticket prices in the future and reduce the pressure on other airlines," he expressed. Passengers emphasized that direct flights through Turkey are a great necessity for Sulaymaniyah, stating, "About 2 million people live in this city. It has also provided great convenience for passengers coming from Europe."
THE FLIGHT BAN WAS IMPLEMENTED IN APRIL 2023
The Presidency of the Kurdistan Region announced in a statement made on October 9 that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan decided to lift the flight ban on Sulaymaniyah Airport at the request of the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani. Turkey had implemented the flight ban on Sulaymaniyah in April 2023.