MP: Türkiye's Sulaymaniyah Airport Ban is Political

PUKMEDIA

Sulaymaniyah International Airport.

Türkiye has prolonged its airspace closure to Sulaymaniyah International Airport for an additional six months, while an Iraqi Parliament member asserts that the decision is politically motivated and that the airport has no legal, technical, or security issues.

Karwan Yarwais, a member of the Transportation and Communications Committee of the Iraqi Parliament, informed PUKMEDIA that three committees from Baghdad have previously assessed Sulaymaniyah airport and according to their findings, the airport does not have any legal, technical, or security issues; thus, the decision is "political."

"On 6 January 2025, the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority (NOTAM) issued a letter to the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority, prolonging the sanctions on Sulaymaniyah International Airport until July of this year, without providing reasons for the extension," stated Yarwais.

Türkiye initially instituted a flight embargo on Sulaymaniyah International Airport on April 6, 2023, and subsequently extended it on January 13, 2024, and June 22, 2024.



PUKMEDIA