Economy set for rebound as Turkiye lifts flight ban on Sulaymaniyah Airport

Shafaq News – Al-Sulaymaniyah

Turkiye’s decision to lift the flight ban on al-Sulaymaniyah will positively impact economic and trade cooperation, the Kurdistan Region’s Exporters and Importers Union said on Wednesday.

Union Chairman Mustafa Sheikh Abdulrahman told Shafaq News that the new trade framework between Ankara and the Kurdistan “rests on precise, data-driven foundations,” noting that the union has played an active role in shaping it in recent years.

Abdulrahman added that economic activity in al-Sulaymaniyah is expected to rebound in the coming days after months of stagnation caused by the suspension of Turkish flights, which disrupted travel, commerce, and tourism-dependent businesses.

The Sulaymaniyah International Airport confirmed in mid-October that the Turkish aviation authority had lifted the flight restrictions, which Ankara had first imposed on April 3, 2023, citing alleged use of the airport by members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and threats to aviation security.