Kurdistan Region suspends flights to and from Iran
Kurdistan Region suspends flights to and from Iran
2026-09-25
Shafaq News – Erbil/Sulaimaniyah
On Friday, the Kurdistan Regional Government decided to suspend flights to and from Iran, following the flight ban with the Islamic Republic that Iraqi authorities have begun implementing.
The director of Erbil International Airport, Ahmed Hoshyar, told Shafaq News Agency that all flights from Iran to Erbil International Airport and Jalal Talabani International Airport (formerly Sulaimaniyah) have been suspended until further notice.
An informed source in Sulaymaniyah told Shafaq News Agency that directives have been issued to stop all incoming and outgoing flights to and from the Islamic Republic of Iran, starting from dawn today until further notice, while the schedules of Jalal Talabani International Airport in Sulaymaniyah showed the cancellation of a flight that was scheduled to Tehran.
He explained that “based on the official directives issued by the competent authorities, it has been decided to suspend all incoming and outgoing flights to and from the Islamic Republic of Iran, starting at 02:00 on Friday, September 25, 2026, until further notice.”
According to the official flight schedule of Jalal Talabani International Airport, which was reviewed by Shafaq News Agency, Mahan Air flight number (IRM 5057), which was scheduled to depart today from Sulaymaniyah to Tehran at 14:30, has been listed as “cancelled,” confirming that flights between Sulaymaniyah and Iran have been affected by recent developments.
As of the time of writing this report, the administration of Jalal Talabani International Airport has not issued any official statement regarding the suspension of flights to and from Iran, or the duration of the suspension.
A source in the Iraqi Ministry of Transport revealed earlier today that ground handling and service companies have stopped providing their services at all Iraqi airports for flights to and from Iran since yesterday, with the exception of Najaf Airport, which was limited due to the presence of flights that had been booked in advance for Iranian companies.
The source told Shafaq News Agency that all Iraqi and non-Iraqi airlines that used to transport passengers between Iraq and Iran have stopped operating, after having been operating on a limited basis since last March due to the war conditions, noting that Iranian companies were the last to continue operating their flights.
He added that Mahan Air and Sepehran Airlines had apologized for operating their flights, while the ground handling and services companies Mensz and Nas, which contracted with the Iranian companies to provide pre-departure and post-landing services, reported that they were unable to continue providing services for fear of being subjected to sanctions from the US Treasury Department in case of non-compliance.
Late on Thursday evening, the administration of Najaf International Airport decided to suspend all flights arriving from and departing to Iran, starting at 2:00 AM on Friday, September 25, 2026, until further notice, based on official directives from the competent authorities.
The administration, in a circular seen by Shafaq News Agency, requested that airlines and relevant operating entities be informed not to take any action regarding the suspended flights, noting that it would inform them of any subsequent directives concerning the resumption of flights. The circular did not specify the reason for the decision or the entity that issued the directives.
This development comes amid sanctions announced by the US Treasury Department on September 8 against 36 entities linked to the Iranian aviation sector, including 27 airlines.
shafaq.com
