Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's civil aviation authority says airports in the country's Kurdish region have been officially reopened for international flights.
Abbas Omran, the authority's director, says he received a cable Wednesday night that international carriers are now allowed to take off and land at the two airports in Iraq's Kurdish region after they had been shut to such traffic some six months ago.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called for the hubs to be reopened on Tuesday.
The airports were initially shut to international flights following a controversial referendum vote in Iraq's self-ruled Kurdish region that overwhelmingly backed independence from Baghdad.
Iraq's small landlocked Kurdish region has been increasingly isolated following the September referendum, straining relations with key allies such as the United States and neighboring Turkey.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
