Kirkuk opens airport, first commercial plane lands Sunday

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - The Kirkuk airport officially opened on Sunday with the inaugural flight coming from Baghdad and landing in the oil-rich province.

The airport, over the past few decades, has been used as a military base by the former Iraqi authoritarian regime. The American forces also used it to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003. Since then, Iraqi and Kurdish forces have used it for military logistical support.

Aboard the first commercial, operated by Iraqi Airways, landing in Kirkuk were the Minister of Transport, Kazim al-Hamami, acting Kirkuk Governor, Rakan Saeed, and other Iraqi officials.

In the past decade, authorities in Kirkuk have repeatedly called on the federal government of Iraq to build a commercial airport in the mixed province, populated by Arabs, Turkmen, and Christians with Kurdish majority.

The airport will be used for commercial and military flights, according to Iraqi state media.

It is not clear yet whether the airport will operate only domestic flights or if international ones will also be included.

The airport was officially opened after consultations between the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority and Iraqi Air Force, with the approval of Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi.

The opening was planned for July but was delayed due to the unrehabilitated runway and other technical issues the airport had, local officials stated.

Kirkuk is part of the contested territories claimed by both the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government of Iraq.

Editing by Nadia Riva