An Iraqi Airways aircraft sits on the runway at Kirkuk International Airport
Kirkuk airport conducts first night flight as Istanbul route resumes
KIRKUK — An Iraqi Airways plane landed at Kirkuk International Airport on Saturday night in the airport’s first nighttime operation, opening the facility to round-the-clock flights after air traffic had previously been limited to daytime hours.
The aircraft arrived from Baghdad and was scheduled to carry 84 passengers onward to Istanbul.
The development comes days after Kirkuk resumed direct flights to Istanbul following a two-month suspension linked to regional tensions. The airport had announced plans to introduce night flights when the Istanbul route relaunched, with four weekly services operating on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Kirkuk resumed domestic operations on May 1 after a 60-day suspension. Iraq closed its airspace on Feb. 28 following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and reopened it in April after a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.