Foreign airlines suspend Kurdistan flights after Baghdad ban

© Fatih Polat

Following the independence referendum in the Kurdish Kirkuk region of Iraq, which saw 90% of Iraqi Kurds vote to create a new country, flights into the area’s two international airports – Erbil and Sulaymaniyah – will cease from Friday afternoon. The decision follows a decree from Iraq’s government in Baghdad. Major Gulf carriers such as Etihad and Qatar, as well as Turkish Airlines, have said they will comply with the ruling. Erbil is a key freighter hub serving Kirkuk’s oil industry.