Kurdistan Region flights to Iran continue despite regional disruptions

ERBIL — Flights from the Kurdistan Region’s international airports to Iran are continuing for now, airport officials said, despite unrest inside Iran that has disrupted air travel across the region and prompted several major airlines to suspend services.

Iran has been experiencing a wave of protests for nearly two weeks, with demonstrations reported across multiple governorates. The unrest began as public anger over economic conditions and expanded into broader anti-government protests in major cities, including Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan and Kermanshan. The protests have been accompanied by disruptions to internet services across the country, affecting communications, transportation and airline operations.

Despite the situation, officials at Erbil and Sulaimaniyah international airports said they have not received instructions to suspend flights to Tehran. Ahmed Hoshyar, director of Erbil International Airport, told 964media, “So far, we have not received anything about canceling flights to Tehran.” He said there have been no flights over the past three days, adding, “On Wednesday, we have a flight.”

At Sulaimaniyah International Airport, Dana Mohammed, the airport’s media director, told 964media, “So far, we have not been informed of suspending flights to Tehran.” He added, “Although there is no flight today, there is a flight tomorrow to Tehran, and the flight schedule remains as it is.”

Elsewhere in the region, air traffic to Iran has faced widespread suspensions since Friday. Turkish Airlines canceled 17 flights to Tehran and other Iranian cities, while AnadoluJet canceled six flights and Pegasus Airlines suspended all of its flights to Iran for the day.

Flydubai canceled at least 17 flights on Friday alone to Tehran, Shiraz and Mashhad, and Qatar Airways canceled at least two flights between Doha and Tehran. The cancellations have been linked to the ongoing protests and internet disruptions inside Iran, which have affected airline operations and passenger communications across multiple routes.