Turkish flights resume to Baghdad after two-month suspension

BAGHDAD — Air traffic between Iraq and Turkey resumed Thursday with the arrival of the first incoming flight from Istanbul at Baghdad International Airport, ending a suspension of more than two months linked to the regional conflict.

The Iraqi Airports Administration said Baghdad International Airport welcomed a Pegasus Airlines Airbus A321 operating flight PGT656 from Istanbul, describing the return as “an indication of the gradual return of air traffic between Baghdad and Turkey.”

The resumption brings Baghdad airport’s operational activity to nearly 90%, with around 20 to 21 airlines now operating compared with 17 last week. The total is expected to rise to around 30.

Iraq closed its airspace on Feb. 28 following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and subsequent missile and drone activity across the region. The Civil Aviation Authority reopened airspace in April following a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, ending a 38-day closure that stranded travelers abroad and disrupted tourism and transport.