IRBIL, Iraq — Hundreds of passengers wait to board flights out of the Kurdish region at Irbil International Airport on Thursday after Baghdad threatened to ban flights following an independence referendum held by Iraq’s Kurds earlier this week.
Most international carriers who fly to and from airports in the Kurdish region announce they would halt flights beginning Friday night in line with the ban. Also on Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says Turkey has agreed to deal only with Baghdad on oil exports from the self-ruled Kurdish region.
At Irbil’s airport, many of the passengers are foreigners who said they are traveling to avoid possibly being stuck once the flight ban goes into effect Friday.
Iraq’s Transport Ministry ordered international airlines to halt service to Irbil, the Kurdish regional capital, and Sulaimaniyah, its second city, beginning Friday evening.
State carrier Qatar Airways is just the latest airline to announce all flights to and from the Kurdish region would be canceled starting Saturday. Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines, EgyptAir and Royal Jordanian announce Wednesday that flights would be suspended beginning Friday evening.
— AP
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