Air traffic resumes in Iraq, Kurdistan Region after Israel-Iran ceasefire

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Air traffic officially resumed across all airports in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region on Tuesday, ending a 10-day closure of airspace triggered by the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Iran on June 13. The first flight from the Region took off from Erbil to the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, on Tuesday.

Iraq’s transport ministry told Rudaw that the airspace over Iraq and the Kurdistan Region has reopened and flights are once again considered safe.

Officials at international airports in Erbil, Kirkuk, and Sulaimani also confirmed the resumption of operations.

A source at Erbil International Airport told Rudaw, “We’ve been informed [by Iraqi authorities] that flights are restarting.” Rudaw additionally learned that the first flight departed from Erbil to the Bulgarian capital Sofia at 3:30 PM local time on Tuesday, confirming that flights have now officially resumed.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Sulaimani International Airport said that Baghdad had notified the Region’s airports of the airspace reopening as of 10:30 AM on Tuesday. “We are now waiting for airline companies to confirm their new flight schedules,” the spokesperson added.

Hirdi Samed, a spokesperson for Kirkuk International Airport, also told Rudaw that “regular flight schedules are expected to be restored in the coming days."

Tensions between Israel and Iran escalated on June 13 when Israeli airstrikes in Iran killed senior military commanders and nuclear scientists. In retaliation, Iran launched barrages of missiles and drones toward Israel.

The conflict intensified further when the United States intervened on Sunday, targeting three of Iran’s key nuclear sites - Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz. In response, Tehran launched a ballistic missile attack the following day on al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military installation in the Middle East.

The conflict prompted a closure of airspace in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, halting operations at the Region’s two main airports in Erbil and Sulaimani, as well as at the nearby Kirkuk International Airport.

Dilan Rashad, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) transport ministry told Rudaw that the 10-day closure “resulted in the cancellation of a total of 1,283 flights across Erbil and Sulaimani airports.” Of these, “1,184 flights were canceled at Erbil International Airport and 99 flights were canceled at Sulaimani International Airport,” Rashad added.

US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that Iran and Israel had reached a ceasefire.

According to Trump, the first phase of the ceasefire went into effect at 7:00 AM local time in Erbil on Tuesday and includes five stages. In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, the US president described the agreement as “comprehensive and final.”