Iraqi Airways (IA, Baghdad) has suspended its scheduled cargo services to the Kurdish cities of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah amid growing tensions between the Kurds and Baghdad. Following its seizure of two oilfields in Kirkuk and Bai Hassan, Kurdistan announced plans to hold a referendum on succession from Iraq last week.
According to Reuters, the head of the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority, Nasser Bandar, said passenger flights to the region were not affected.
The carrier was forced to suspend its Mosul flights in June following the creation of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) caliphate in northern Iraq and parts of Syria. Inspite of the crisis, the carrier insists it will continue to operate scheduled flights across the country. Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Airport) has also suspended its Mosul services until further notice.
