Lufthansa resumes air flights to Erbil

Nechirvan Barzani that the German Lufthansa will resume flights to Erbil International Airport.

The statement, received by “Shafaq News" that Barzani welcomed the company's decision during a meeting with the German Consul in Erbil, but there was no statement on a specific date for the resumption of the flights.”

The German company and the Austrian Airlines affiliate to it has halted flights to Erbil city on 17th of March to resume flights on 23th of March.

Lufthansa did not say at the time the reason of stopping the trips but airlines of the United Arab Emirates, as the Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways suspended their flights in the same month for security reasons.

Lufthansa stopped earlier flights to Erbil last year for security reasons before resuming them by the end of August.

ISIS organization has swept cities north and west of Iraq as Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga are trying to regain them.

The flight risk over conflict areas or near them have sparked widespread debate within the aviation sector after a Malaysian plane fall over a combat zone in Ukraine last year.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called governments and airlines to find better ways to share information on security risks posed by conflicts.

Lufthansa normally operates flights to Erbil twice each week from Frankfurt and operate Austrian Airlines daily flights from Vienna.

During Barzani’s meeting with the German Consul , Barzani confirmed his government's support for the German company and safety of their employees.

Barazani praised the German government for standing with Kurdistan Government and people as well as providing support forPeshmarga either by training them or by humanitarian aid to the region.

In turn, the German Consul thanks the Region’s government for the warm welcome of the German parliamentary delegation that visited Kurdistan last week, renewing his government's support for the region from the military point of view and helping Peshmarga.

Germany also provided the Kurdish forces with weapons and ammunition worth about 70 million Euros and trained Kurdish forces in the region.