Kurdish civilian airplane stranded in Ukraine for more than two weeks

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Due to the Russian invasion, an airplane from a Kurdish travel company has been stranded in the Ukrainian capital for more than two weeks.

Belonging to Fly Erbil, the 737 Boeing plane landed in Ukraine for maintenance work, Lawand Mamundi, the chief executive officer of the company, told Kurdistan 24 on Thursday. However, the day when the work was completed, Feb. 24, was also the day when Russia invaded the country.

The 158-passenger plane is currently parked at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) in the capital. The city has been subject to regular Russian bombardments, but “the airport has been safe up to this minute,” Mamundi told Kurdistan 24.

The company has contacted the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations to facilitate the return of the plane as the Ukrainian aviation authorities have closed down the airspace after the eruption of the conflict.

“Due to the ongoing conflict, they have not been able to do anything,” the company’s executive said.

Planes from other countries have also been stranded due to the conflict, and all commercial flights to the European country have been halted.

Despite talks between the two warring countries’ foreign ministers in the Turkish city of Antalya on Thursday, no progress on a ceasefire deal has been made yet.

According to the United Nations’ latest estimate, more than two million people have been displaced as a result of the invasion.