ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two flights to Erbil on Saturday had to be redirected due to airspace restrictions in Iraq because of Israel’s attack on Iran, according to the head of an airline. "Last night, we had two direct flights. One of them was London-Erbil and was supposed to arrive in Erbil at 4:45 am,” Fly Erbil CEO Lawand Mamondy told Rudaw. That flight “was forced to return to Ankara and land there,” he said. Another scheduled 6:00 a.m. flight from Cologne to Erbil “had to land in Istanbul,” he added. Iraqi airspace was closed for security reasons during Israel’s strikes on Iran. The transportation ministry stated on Saturday that “after the safety and security risks were overcome in Iraq” the minister ordered the reopening of Iraqi airspace. Fly Erbil’s Erbil-Dusseldorf flight scheduled for Saturday has been postponed and Mamondy told passengers “to be ready for their flight at the same time tomorrow.” Passengers on the flight from London “are safe and at Ankara airport” and are expected to depart Turkey “for Erbil at 5:00 p.m. Turkish time,” provided no further issues arise, said Mamondy. Israel carried out several strikes on Iranian targets in Tehran and other provinces early Saturday morning, around 2 am local time.
