Turkiye Airlines launches flight to 1st International Airport of Iraq's Kirkuk

Turkish Airlines passenger planes at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey on 22 March, 2019 [İsa Terli/Anadolu Agency]

Turkiye’s national flag carrier Turkish Airlines launched direct flights from Istanbul Airport to the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Thursday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Thanks to the Turkish Airlines flight, Kirkuk International Airport also hosted the first international flight and opened its doors to the whole world.

Iraqi Transport Minister, Nasser Hussein Al-Shibli, inaugurated the first-ever international airport in Kirkuk on Sunday.

Turkish Airlines will offer Istanbul-Kirkuk flights four days a week, as of December onwards.

Kirkuk is Turkish Airline’s sixth destination in Iraq after Erbil, Basra, Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah and Najaf, bringing the number of destinations in its network to 341.

The Airport, which was completed in four years, is capable of receiving 3.5 million passengers annually, according to Iraqi officials.

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