Turkiye’s Erdogan orders end to airspace ban on Al-Sulaymaniyah Airport

Shafaq News – Erbil

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decided on Thursday to lift the flight ban on Al-Sulaymaniyah International Airport following a request by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani.

The Kurdistan Region Presidency revealed in a statement to Shafaq News that Erdogan agreed to lift the ban on Al-Sulaymaniyah Airport at the request of President Nechirvan Barzani, adding that Turkiye is expected to reopen its airspace to flights from the airport soon, without giving more details.

Barzani headed to Ankara today for an official visit, where he met Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Earlier this week, Turkish authorities extended the suspension of flights and airspace access between Turkiye and the airport until January 6, 2026. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously attributed the flight suspension to what it described as the “infiltration” of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) at the airport.

Turkiye first imposed the airspace ban in April 2023, a decision which caused millions of dollars in financial losses, according to authorities in Al-Sulaymaniyah.