Sulaymaniyah Welcomes Back Turkish Airlines after 2½ Years: What Travelers Need to Know

Turkish Airlines (TK), the flag carrier of Turkey, has resumed scheduled service between Istanbul Airport (IST), Türkiye, and Sulaymaniyah International Airport (ISU), Iraq, marking the return of the route after its suspension in April 2023. The relaunch increases the carrier’s Iraqi network to aerodromes in six cities: Baghdad, Basra, Erbil, Kirkuk, Najaf and now Sulaymaniyah.

Flights will initially operate four times per week—Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays—before a planned upgrade to daily service from 27 March 2026 under the 2026 summer schedule. The reinstatement is intended to deepen economic, tourism and cultural ties between Türkiye and Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.

Category	Details
Airline Name	Turkish Airlines
ICAO Code	THY
Founded	1933
Alliance	Star Alliance
Headquarters	Istanbul, Türkiye
Main Hub	Istanbul Airport (IST)
Fleet Size	512 (passenger and cargo aircraft)
Total Destinations	355
International Destinations	302
Domestic Destinations	53
Countries Served	131
Tagline / Notable Fact	Operates the largest global flight network by number of countries served

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Flight Details for Turkish Airlines Sulaymaniyah route

Turkish Airlines will deploy flights between Istanbul Airport (IST) and Sulaymaniyah International Airport (ISU) four times weekly at first (Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays) starting 2 November 2025. The airline has indicated that from the summer schedule dated 27 March 2026 the service will increase to daily.

Detail	TK 808	TK 809
Start	02.11.2025	03.11.2025
End	27.03.2026	28.03.2026
Days	Monday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday	Monday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday
From	IST (Istanbul Airport)	ISU (Sulaymaniyah International Airport)
Departure	22:30	02:40
To	ISU (Sulaymaniyah International Airport)	IST (Istanbul Airport)
Arrival	01:10	05:40

The relaunch opens direct connectivity between Türkiye and Iraq’s Kurdish region via Sulaymaniyah, providing passengers with a non-stop option rather than relying on multi-leg routes. This reinstated direct link is expected to benefit business, leisure and diaspora travel, said Prof. Ahmet Bolat stated, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee;

“We are glad to relaunch our Sulaymaniyah flights, connecting this destination which boasts rich cultural and natural heritage to the world with the comfort and hospitality of Turkish Airlines. With this route, we will not only further strengthen our presence in the region but also continue to contribute to the trade and cultural ties between Türkiye and Iraq.”

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Turkish’s Network expansion in Iraq

With Sulaymaniyah added, Turkish Airlines’ destination network in Iraq now encompasses the following six airports:

City	Full Airport Name
Baghdad	Baghdad International Airport
Basra	Basra International Airport
Erbil	Erbil International Airport
Kirkuk	Kirkuk International Airport
Najaf	Al Najaf International Airport
Sulaymaniyah	Sulaymaniyah International Airport

In April 2023, Türkiye suspended flights and prohibited use of Turkish airspace by carriers travelling to Sulaymaniyah International Airport (ISU), citing increased activity by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

According to a report published in the Middle East Eye, Turkish Airlines has suspended its operations to Sulaymaniyah airport two and a half years ago as a response to what the publication described as “alleged” growing ties between the  Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), alongside  “the apparent existence of an air corridor between Iraq and Syria allegedly carrying senior PKK fighters at the behest of PUK leader Bafel Talabani, which was revealed after two helicopters came down in Iraq last month, was key in the decision“:

“Turkish foreign ministry said flights would be suspended until 3 July. It linked the decision to “the intensification” of the PKK’s activities in Sulaymaniyah and its “penetration” of the airport, “thus threatening flight security”. The PKK, a Kurdish separatist group, has been in conflict with the Turkish state since the 1980s, involving violence that has killed tens of thousands of people. Turkey, the US, and the EU have designated the PKK as a terror group due to the deadly attacks it has carried out on civilians.”

The lifting of the ban followed diplomacy between Türkiye and the Kurdish Regional Government. A meeting in Ankara on 9 October 2025 between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Nechirvan Barzani of the Kurdistan Region paved the way for restoration of flights, reported Hürriyet Daily News:

“Earlier this year, PKK agreed to disband and renounce armed conflict as part of a new peace initiative with Türkiye. A symbolic disarmament ceremony was held near Sulaymaniyah in July. In a statement, the Kurdistan Region Presidency welcomed Türkiye’s decision, calling it a reflection of the strong ties between the two sides and a move that would deepen mutual cooperation.”

The airport director at Sulaymaniyah confirmed that the first Turkish Airlines flight in 2.5 years landed on 3 November 2025.

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Which aircraft does Turkish operate on the Istanbul – Sulaymaniyah route?

According to data from FlightConnections, Turkish Airlines operates a Boeing 737-800 on the Istanbul-Sulaymaniyah route. Turkish is also the sole carrier offering a non-flight on this route. Turkish Airlines has 40 aircraft of this type in its fleet and these average 10.9 years. Here are the specifications of the 737-800 operated by the carrier:

Specification	Details
Aircraft Model	Boeing 737-800
First Flight / In Service Since	1997
Height	12.5 meters
Length	39.5 meters
Maximum Range	5,436 km
Maximum Speed	938 km/h
Passenger Capacity (Two-Cabin)	162
Passenger Capacity (Single-Cabin)	189

Despite the capacity to accommodate 189 passengers, the first Turkish Airlines flight that landed in Sulaimaniyah Airport had 105 passengers on board, while the one that departed to Istanbul had 123 passengers, reported Arab News. Here’s how the carrier’s seating arrangements are in the two-class layout, as detailed by SeatMaps.

Feature	Business Class	Economy Class
Seat Pitch	42″	30″
Seat Width	20″	17″
Recline	16″	3″
Cabin Experience	Ergonomic chairs, gourmet dining, Wi-Fi, tailored crew service for a luxurious journey	Functional and cozy environment, essential comforts for regional routes, attentive crew for a satisfactory experience

Previous incidents of route suspensions and resumptions by Turkish Airline

This comparative table illustrates that route suspensions for geopolitical or security-related reasons are not unique; the Sulaymaniyah case fits that pattern.

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Framework and Strategic Significance of Turkish’s Istanbul-Sulaymaniyah route

According to rudaw.net, Rebaz Mohamed, the acting CEO of Sulaimani International Airport, said that the airport was looking to offer connections across various European airports. The same source also revealed that President Barzani was the one who successfully persuaded the Turkish President to lift it suspensions of flights to Sulaymaniah. Earlier last month, the Kurdistan Region Presidency had expressed gratitude to President Erdogan for lifting the ban:

“This decision comes within the framework of the strong relations between the Kurdistan Region and the Republic of Turkey, which we are confident will be helpful in advancing mutual cooperation and serve the interests of both sides – especially our citizens in Sulaimani province.”

However, challenges remain: sustaining load factors on a route that was inactive, ensuring regional security remains stable, and managing competition from other carriers seeking to exploit the reopened route are some of the hurdles that Turkish will have to get through.