A Turkish Airlines flight landed at Sulaymaniyah International Airport in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan Region for the first time in two and a half years, following Türkiye’s decision to lift its flight ban last month.
Airport Director Rebaz Muhammed Khalil said flights between Sulaymaniyah and Istanbul will operate four times a week and may increase soon. Turkish Airlines Iraq Coordinator Halil Anlatan noted that the ban had reduced trade by about 35 percent.
Passengers expressed relief at the resumption of direct flights, saying it greatly shortens travel time and simplifies access to Sulaymaniyah, a city of about two million people.