After a halt of 15 months, Turkish airlines resumed direct flights to the Sulaymaniyah International Airport in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
A Turkish Airlines flight landed in the airport at dawn local time with 28 passengers on board.
Flights to the facility were suspended in September 2017 four days after a Kurdish independence referendum that was opposed by Ankara and Baghdad.
The vote ultimately failed in achieving its goals due to regional and international meddling.
Director of the Sulaymaniyah airport Taher Abdullah welcome the resumption of Turkish flights.
“It is really a happy day to see a return of Turkish flights,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat, crediting Iraqi President Barham Salih for persuading Ankara to resume operations to the Kurdish region.
The Iraqi leader had paid a visit to Turkey earlier this month.
Public relations official at Sulaymaniyah airport Dana Mohammed revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the facility will receive seven Turkish Airlines flights per week at a rate of one per day.
European carriers are also expected to resume regular flights to the airport starting next week, he added.
Fly Germany will make its first flight to Sulaymaniyah on February 21.
