Ali Khalil Ibrahim, an Iraqi civil aviation authority chief, said in a statement on Saturday that Turkish Airlines operated its first flight to the Sulaimani International Airport from Istanbul.

Ibrahim stated that Iraqi Airways will hold flights from Sulaimani to Istanbul in upcoming days.

On Sept. 29, 2017, Iraq’s central government had imposed a ban on all international flights to and from the Kurdish region.

The ban against Erbil and Sulaimani airports had come in response to the September 25, 2017 referendum on Kurdistan Region independence.

On Wednesday, Turkey’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Cahit Turhan said that the ban on flights to Sulaimani would be lifted on Friday.

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