Sulaimani expands airport, adds new terminal

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Sulaimani Governorate on Monday revealed the city’s international airport had been expanded, including the opening of a new terminal to accommodate more passengers.

Governor of the Sulaimani Province, Haval Abubakr, during a press conference after the opening ceremony for the new terminal, suggested plans to build an even larger airport in the city. 

The new terminal, for which the private sector was contracted to build, offers space for travelers to wait for their flights, go shopping, lounge in cafes, or eat at high-end restaurants.

“The Sulaimani Airport receives 1.5 million passengers a year, domestically and internationally,” Abubakr told reporters. “The project to expand the airport aims at being able to accommodate even more travelers.”

He additionally claimed there are “plans to build a large international airport” in the city “with the support of the private sector.” 

Abubakr did not specify when the larger project would begin.

The Governor along with Qubad Talabani, deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, called on Turkey to resume flights to and from the Sulaimani airport.

On Sunday, according to Abubakr, a delegation from the province of Sulaimani was to visit Baghdad to discuss the resumption of direct flights between Turkey and the Sulaimani International Airport.

Turkish Airlines imposed a flight ban on the Kurdistan Region in response to last year’s independence referendum.

In late-March, Turkish Airlines resumed its flights with the Erbil International Airport, excluding Sulaimani for “security reasons.”

Editing by Nadia Riva