FlyErbil Becomes Independent National Airline After Receiving AOC
FlyErbil has received an Iraqi Air Operator Certificate, allowing it to fly under its own name, with officials outlining plans for domestic routes and jobs.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - FlyErbil has announced a change in its operating status after receiving an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority, allowing the Erbil-based company to operate flights directly under its own name rather than relying on other airlines.
Lawand Mamondy, Director General of FlyErbil, announced the new phase at a press conference on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. He said the company had secured the certificate following extensive efforts to obtain the authorization required to operate independently as a national airline.
The certificate was issued on Oct. 20, ahead of Sunday's public announcement. It marks a distinction between FlyErbil's previous commercial activities and its newly authorized operating arrangements: the airline has carried passengers before, but its flights were operated through other carriers.
Mamondy said FlyErbil had previously operated under the name of Ur Airlines. With the new authorization, he said, the company would conduct its flights solely under the FlyErbil name, establishing its own identity as an operator rather than continuing the earlier arrangement.
The change represents a new stage for an airline established more than a decade ago, and officials at the announcement linked it to ambitions for stronger air connections, local employment and private-sector growth in the Kurdistan Region.
Mamondy described the approval as an important achievement for aviation in both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
He said the company's objectives included implementing the highest aviation safety and security standards and improving connections between Erbil, other Iraqi cities and international destinations.
He also pointed to the economic role of air travel.
In his assessment, a carrier operating directly from Erbil under its own name could help expand tourism, facilitate trade and make travel more convenient for residents of the Kurdistan Region and passengers moving between Iraq and other countries.
From an Aviation Office to an Independent Airline
FlyErbil was established in 2015 as the first Kurdish airline in the Kurdistan Region, with its main base at Erbil International Airport. The security situation and the war against ISIS delayed its inaugural flight until 2018.
The airline's history was also central to remarks by Ahmed Hoshyar, Director of Erbil International Airport, who recalled its role during periods of instability affecting the wider region.
Hoshyar said FlyErbil had helped transport residents and other travelers to European countries and bring passengers back to the Kurdistan Region, particularly Erbil.
He described the initiative as "a very, very important project" and said its value became especially clear when travel connections were affected by regional instability.
The airport director characterized FlyErbil as the only national airline providing those services during that period, emphasizing its role in maintaining connections between the Kurdistan Region and European destinations.
Hoshyar connected the company's new status to the ninth cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), saying job creation and the employment of local workers had been recurring priorities of its program.
For Hoshyar, the achievement also carried a message about the capabilities of the Kurdistan Region's workforce.
"We are no less capable than any other country, and we can carry out this work with our own local workforce," he said.
He congratulated Mamondy on developing the company from what had begun as an office in Erbil into an airline authorized to operate independently, describing its progress as an encouraging example of local entrepreneurship.
Baghdad Flights and Private-Sector Development
Erbil Governor Omed Xoshnaw similarly framed the announcement as an example of private-sector development alongside government efforts to create favorable conditions for investment.
Addressing a gathering that included diplomats, businesspeople and officials involved in foreign relations and investment, he traced the airline's development from modest beginnings to international flight services.
Xoshnaw said the AOC would also enable the company to move into domestic operations.
"Now, following the acquisition of this certificate, it will also begin domestic operations within Iraq, including flights to Baghdad," the governor said.
Xoshnaw also said operating under the FlyErbil name would promote Erbil internationally, making the city more visible through the company's flights and branding.
He described the airline's development as another example of the Kurdistan Region's ability to advance local businesses through the participation of its own workforce.
The governor congratulated the airline's management and employees, as well as the people of Erbil and the KRG, on the development.
He highlighted employment opportunities for university graduates and young people as another consequence of the airline's growth, describing those jobs as consistent with the government's economic objectives.
His remarks emphasized the contributions of local men and women to a business that had expanded incrementally, moving from a small aviation office to a company authorized to conduct its own flight operations.
The announcement therefore combines a completed regulatory step with plans that remain to be carried out.
FlyErbil has obtained its own Iraqi aviation certificate and said it will operate under its own name, while details of the planned domestic expansion and any additional international services have yet to be announced.
For the airline, the immediate change is its ability to operate independently. For Erbil, officials presented that development as an opportunity to strengthen air connectivity, generate employment and support commercial activity through a locally established aviation company.