The Kurdistan Region Presidency revealed Erdogan agreed to lift the ban on the airport at the request of President Nechirvan Barzani, adding that Turkey is expected to reopen its airspace to flights from the airport soon, without giving more details.

Barzani headed to Ankara on Thursday for an official visit, where he met Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Earlier this week, Turkish authorities extended the suspension of flights and airspace access between Turkey and the airport until January 6, 2026. 

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously attributed the flight suspension to what it described as the “infiltration” of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) at the airport.

Turkey first imposed the airspace ban in April 2023, a decision which caused millions of dollars in financial losses, according to authorities in Sulaimani.