Iraq begins process to rename Sulaymaniyah airport after late President Jalal Talabani

SULAYMANIYAH – Iraq’s Ministry of Transportation has formally instructed the Civil Aviation Authority to begin procedures to rename Sulaymaniyah International Airport after the late Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, following a request backed by the prime minister’s office.

An official document confirmed the directive, which outlines the coordination steps required with other airports and aviation departments before the change takes effect.

The Talabani Foundation, which submitted the original request, confirmed the move had received final approval. Mohammed Saber, head of the foundation, told Patriotic Union of Kurdistan media that the name change was endorsed by Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa Al-Sudani and is now going through legal and administrative channels.

“The request was officially sent to the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority and all relevant parties,” Saber said. “Some routine legal procedures remain until the decision takes effect.”

He added that the name will be changed during “formal and solemn ceremonies” once procedures are complete. “This step is a small service for the struggle, sacrifices, and efforts of President Mam Jalal for the people of Kurdistan and the Iraqi people in general, and to immortalize his name like other presidents and leaders of the world,” Saber said.

Jalal Talabani, widely known as Mam Jalal, served as Iraq’s first Kurdish president from 2005 to 2014. He founded the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in 1975 and was a key figure in Iraq’s political transition after the fall of Saddam Hussein. The airport, which opened in July 2005, has since grown into a major gateway for international travel and trade in the Kurdistan Region.