Iraq is lifting the ban on international air traffic to the Kurdish region in the country, and flights can resume within a week, announced the country's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

International flights to the two most important airports in the semi-autonomous region, in Arbil and Sulaimaniyya, were halted on 29 September last year as part of sanctions since the Kurds defied Baghdad and declared independence.

The Kurdish authorities have agreed to the airports being under federal control, and a new authority is being created for this purpose. It is as yet unclear whether the region will be allowed to retain its own visa system.

Source: TT