Erbil International Airport Launches Direct Flights to Europe
Erbil Airport resumes Europe flights with Copenhagen/London routes after Israel-Iran conflict disruptions. 1,200 flights were canceled during 12-day war. Officials urge more airlines to return as operations rebuild to pre-crisis 70 daily flights. Ticket price stabilization efforts underway.
By Ahora Qadi
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – On the evening of Friday, Erbil International Airport officially resumed its European-bound flight operations, beginning with a direct route to Copenhagen. The renewed services will continue on Saturday with flights to London, marking the reopening of key air corridors between the Kurdistan Region and Europe.
Lovend Mahmoudi, Head of the Union of Aviation Companies in the Kurdistan Region, told Kurdistan24 that following the Copenhagen flight, departures to Germany, London, and the Netherlands will begin from Erbil International Airport on Saturday.
He stated that some Kurdish citizens from Western Iran (Eastern Kurdistan), who had been stranded in the Kurdistan Region due to regional airspace closures, were previously unable to return to Europe. “Now, without any complications or obstacles, they can fly directly to their countries from Erbil,” he said.
Call for broader airline participation
Mahmoudi urged other airlines and aviation companies to resume their routes through Erbil International Airport. He emphasized the importance of restoring pre-crisis flight volumes and facilitating passenger movement from the Region to European destinations.
Flights gradually recovering after Israel-Iran conflict
The aviation chief highlighted that prior to the recent conflict between Israel and Iran, Erbil Airport was managing 70 inbound and outbound flights daily. However, due to the 12-day war, operations were severely disrupted, with a total of 1,200 flights canceled according to official data from the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
Efforts underway to stabilize prices and increase capacity
He further noted that by increasing flight frequencies, aviation companies could recover the backlog of canceled flights from the past two weeks. “For this reason, we are working to raise the number of flights starting next week and to prevent the surge in ticket prices,” Mahmoudi added.
The reopening of direct flights signals a return to normalcy in air travel for residents of the Kurdistan Region and others who rely on Erbil as a vital international transit hub.
