Sulaymaniyah Airport Sees Turkish Flight Return After 2 and a half Years

PUKMEDIA

First flight from Türkiye lands at Sulaymaniyah after 2 and a half years.

The first flight from Türkiye touched down at Sulaymaniyah International Airport in the early hours of Monday, 3 November 2025, following a two-and-a-half-year pause.

The flight, Turkish Airlines TK 808, departed on 2 November at 10:30 PM Kurdistan Region time and arrived at 1:10 AM on 3 November.

With the resumption of regular flight operations, four arrivals and four departures will now operate weekly between Türkiye and Sulaymaniyah.

Dana Mohammed, Director of Sulaymaniyah International Airport, announced the reopening of Turkish airspace during a press conference on Sunday evening, noting that “the reopening of Turkish airspace to flights to the airport will contribute to an increase in flight numbers.” He added that “the closure of Turkish airspace had reduced airport activity by 35%.”

Türkiye had previously confirmed on 9 October that flights to Sulaymaniyah International Airport would resume. Yahya Üstün, Head of Communications at Turkish Airlines, stated that flights would recommence shortly, with seven services per week planned.

The decision to lift the ban comes in recognition of Sulaymaniyah's pivotal role in the peace process in Türkiye and in promoting rapprochement between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Bafel Jalal Talabani, President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), played a key and influential part in this process, successfully advancing relations to a new stage.



PUKMEDIA