Sulaimani-Tehran flights canceled amid escalating unrest in Iran

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Flights between the Kurdistan Region’s eastern Sulaimani province and the Iranian capital, Tehran, have been canceled for several days, a source at the province's international airport told Rudaw on Tuesday. This comes as Iran is grappling with escalating unrest, which has led several countries and international airlines to suspend or cancel flights to the country.

“We do not have any flights to Tehran today,” the source said, adding that “there were flights scheduled for tomorrow and on the 18th of this month; however, we received a message stating that these flights have also been canceled.”

The source at Sulaymaniyah International Airport added that they “were notified of the cancellations via email” and that “no specific reasons were provided.”

Conversely, Ahmed Hoshyar, Director of Erbil International Airport, told Rudaw on Tuesday that, “So far, no flights from our side to Tehran have been stopped.”

Another well-placed source at Erbil Airport elaborated that, “As of 11:00 am [local time], we have not received any email indicating the cancellation of Tehran flights.”

However, the same source, who spoke to Rudaw on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, suggested that “the flight scheduled to Tehran at 1:50 pm today will likely be canceled, as Iran itself could call it off due to the current situation in the country.

“We are waiting for orders; however, it is likely that [just like in Sulaimani] flights from Erbil will also be canceled,” he added.

Iran is currently facing its most significant internal security threat in years, marked by a wave of anti-government protests triggered by a historic currency crash that saw the Iranian currency hit a record low of 1.45 million rials to the US dollar.

The uprising began on December 28 when merchants shuttered their shops at the Alaeddin Mall in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar but has since spread to at least 156 separate demonstrations across 27 of Iran’s 31 provinces.

While Tehran has yet to release an official death toll, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed on Sunday that “hundreds” of people, including security forces, have been killed.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that as of Sunday, at least 483 protesters and 47 security personnel had been killed. However, these figures are likely underestimated, especially given the government imposed internet blockout that has entered its sixth day on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) reported last week that over 2,000 people had been “arbitrarily arrested,” a figure that has since risen to over 10,000 according to activist aggregates.

The escalating unrest has prompted a wave of flight cancellations to Iran.

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways on Tuesday halted all services to Iran, while German carrier Lufthansa placed its planned January 16 resumption under urgent review.

Earlier, on Friday, Emirates, FlyDubai, and Qatar Airways canceled dozens of flights to Tehran, Mashhad, and Shiraz in Iran, citing a “safety-first” approach. Ankara's Turkish Airlines has also grounded all 17 of its scheduled flights to the country, while European carriers such as Austrian Airlines suspended operations as a precaution.

Last updated at 12:20 pm.