Resumption of flights at Erbil International Airport
Shafaq News / The management of Erbil International Airport announced on Monday the resumption of flights after a temporary suspension that lasted for several hours.
Ahmed Hoshyar, the director of Erbil International Airport, told Shafaq News Agency, "Flight operations have resumed at Erbil International Airport, which had been suspended since 5:00 PM."
Hoshyar added, "We are in contact with the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority to determine the reasons behind the flight suspension."
Earlier on Monday, security sources and officials revealed new details about the flight suspension at Erbil and al-Sulaymaniyah airports in the Kurdistan Region, while government authorities assured the absence of any risks.
A security source told Shafaq News Agency, "Three unidentified unmanned aircraft, whether American or Turkish, were detected by the air defense radars at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports," noting, "telegrams and letters were circulated to all airports to suspend flights to Erbil and al-Sulaymaniyah airports to ensure the safety of incoming aircraft and passengers."
On the other hand, the Minister of Transportation and Communications in the Kurdistan Regional Government, Ano Jawhar, denied any security threat to Erbil and al-Sulaymaniyah airports.
Minister Jawhar stated to Shafaq News Agency, "The decision to suspend flights came from the Federal Aviation Authority without providing any clarification regarding the reason." He further added, "there is no security threat to Erbil and al-Sulaymaniyah airports or any technical or administrative malfunction."
On his part, Karwan Yarwis, a member of the Transportation and Communications Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, informed Shafaq News Agency that he had contacted the Federal Aviation Authority regarding the reasons behind the flight suspension at Erbil and al-Sulaymaniyah airports.
He explained, "the Aviation Authority stated that the flight suspension is aimed at safeguarding the lives of citizens due to reports of two unmanned aircraft in the region's airspace."
