Ankara mulls al-Sulaymaniyah airspace ban
Turkiye is reviewing its airspace ban on al-Sulaymaniyah International Airport, a senior Iraqi official revealed on Saturday.
In comments to Shafaq News, Karwan Yarways, a member of Iraq's Parliamentary Transportation and Communications Committee, noted that the issue featured in his recent meetings in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus.
Following those discussions, Erdogan instructed his advisory team to examine the matter further. The team is now working in coordination with Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), to assess the situation and the latest developments.
Turkiye introduced the airspace suspension in April 2023, citing the presence of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants—an armed group Ankara designates as a terrorist organization.
Since then, the halt in flights has had economic repercussions across the Kurdistan Region. KRG officials estimate a 30% decline in passenger traffic and monthly losses exceeding $5 million in airport revenue. The disruption has also affected access to essential medical and commercial routes, placing additional pressure on the Regional infrastructure.
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