Middle East
Turkey's national flag carrier flies to over 330 destinations in 128 countries, the third most in the world after United Airlines and American Airlines. AFP file photo
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey on Thursday suspended all flights to and from Iraq, with Iraqi aviation officials saying the reason for the halt remains unclear.
“We were informed by the Turkish side of the suspension of all flights from Turkey’s airports to Iraq and vice versa,” Ahmed Waheed, head of the communications and media department at the Iraqi Airports Authority, told Rudaw.
Waheed said the suspension would remain in effect “until further notice,” adding that Iraqi authorities had not been given an explanation for the decision.
According to the official, the last passenger flight departing from Baghdad and entering Turkish airspace took place at 1:17 p.m. on Thursday.
It remains unclear whether the Kurdistan Region’s Erbil and Sulaimani airports will be affected by the suspension.
The flight cancellations come amid escalating unrest in neighboring Iran, prompting several countries and international airlines—including from Turkey—to suspend or cancel flights to the country.
Turkey’s suspension of flights to Iraq came shortly after the Iraqi government and the ruling Shiite-led Coordination Framework warned against the possible use of Iraqi territory, airspace, or territorial waters by the United States as a launchpad for military operations targeting Iran.
Iran is currently facing its most significant internal security challenge in years, marked by a wave of anti-government protests triggered by a historic currency crash that saw the rial fall to a record low of 1.45 million to the US dollar.
The unrest began on December 28, when merchants shuttered their shops at the Alaeddin Mall in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, and has since spread to at least 156 demonstrations across 27 of Iran’s 31 provinces.
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