Turkiye suspends flights to KRG-held Sulaymaniyah - Turkish Minister

Turkish Airlines has suspended its flights to Iraqi Kurdistan’s Sulaymaniyah Airport in April as a response to alleged growing ties between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Middle East Eye reports.

According to the report, the sources said that the apparent existence of an air corridor between Iraq and Syria allegedly carrying senior PKK fighters at the behest of PUK leader, Bafel Talabani, which was revealed after two helicopters came down in Iraq last month, was key in the decision.

In 2019, the Turkish Transport Minister had announced lifting a 16-month-old ban on flights in Sulaymaniyah, a ban imposed following their non-binding independence referendum.

READ: Turkiye Airlines launches flight to 1st International Airport of Iraq’s Kirkuk