PUK MP: Only PUK Works to Solve SIA's Issue

Reports 12:15 PM - 2024-07-07

Sulaymaniyah International Airport.

Last week, the chairman and members of the Transportation and Communications Committee of the Iraqi Parliament visited Sulaymaniyah International Airport (SIA) in response to a request from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) faction in the Iraqi parliament. This visit took place even though the parliament was in recess. The purpose of the visit was to alleviate pressure and sanctions on the airport.

A parliamentarian from the PUK faction in Iraq has stated that the PUK is the sole party making efforts to secure the opening of Turkish airspace to flights from the SIA, while the other political parties remain silent on the matter.

PUK advocates opening Turkish airspace to Sulaymaniyah Airport

Karwan Yarwais, a member of the PUK faction in Iraq's parliament, told PUKMEDIA that only the PUK, through its members in the government, parliament, and party, has advocated for the opening of Turkish airspace to SIA flights. The other parties have chosen to remain silent."

Yarwaris urged other Kurdish factions to regard this concern as a matter of public interest and strive to resolve this issue through dialogue and diplomatic means.

Sulaymaniyah Airport is one of the most important airports in Iraq

The Transportation and Communications Committee of the Iraqi Parliament had a comprehensive meeting with the airport director and several departments to gain a thorough understanding of the airport, which is regarded as one of Iraq's most significant and trouble-free airports. The airport has exclusively local citizens as employees and does not have any international workers.

MP Rashid reiterated their commitment to addressing and facilitating the opening of Turkish airspace to flights from the SIA. 

He stated that the Transportation and Communication Committee has stated that it will hold meetings with the Iraqi parliament's presidency, prime minister, and civil aviation board to discuss the issue.


"The Transportation and Communications Committee of the Iraqi Parliament stated that the SIA holds significant importance in terms of flights, administration, and security within Iraq. They also pledged to take all necessary measures to facilitate the opening of Turkish airspace for Sulaymaniyah airports," he remarked.

The Transportation and Communications Committee has found that the allegations are baseless

The committee also visited Azmar Air, the sole handling company in the SIA, and was impressed by the capabilities of the Azmar Air Academy in training airport staff, which is unparalleled in Iraq. At other airports, significant financial resources are allocated to foreign firms and academic institutions for these specific objectives.

"The committee will take all actions following the parliament's recess to solve this issue," Yarwais stated.

The committee met with the director of the Kurdistan Region's Security Agency (Asayish), and after extensive explanations and data, they concluded that the charges against the airport are unfounded.

The SIA has lost around $10 million in the previous 14 months as a result of suspending 35% of its flights because they fly over Türkiye. In contrast, its flights to other countries have run smoothly with no complications.




PUKMEDIA