ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Erbil International Airport officials have denied persistent rumors that the transport hub will be closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the Kurdistan Region.
Airport Director-General Talar Fayeq and marketing and commercial adviser Andrew Jones both told Rudaw English they do not plan to halt commercial flight operations.
As of Thursday, neither the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) nor the Iraqi federal government have advised them to close, they said.
“The airport will not close – it will remain open – the rumors are false – airlines may choose not to fly either because their respective governments forbid flights to Iraq, including Erbil, or for commercial reasons, but thus far the international airlines – except Turkish and Pegasus – have maintained services,” Jones said.
Rumors have been circulating on social media for several days suggesting the airport will close for two weeks from mid-March as part of measures to stop the spread of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
The World Health Organization (WHO) characterized the outbreak as a pandemic on Wednesday.
The KRG has already halted non-emergency travel between Iraqi and Kurdish provinces and placed new controls on land border crossings.
Obtaining accurate and up-to-date travel information has proved difficult, as several KRG ministries have closed or reduced services under coronavirus measures until March 28.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not be reached for comment and the Ministry of the Interior had no information about possible airport closures.
Both the KRG spokesperson’s office and the KRG Department of Media and Information declined to comment on the record.
Although airport officials have strongly denied rumors about a possible airport closure, the KRG has the final authority on the matter.
Jones urged travelers to keep up to date with developments and to contact their airline with any queries, as regulations are liable to change in the coming days and weeks.
Containment measures
In addition to Turkey’s suspension of all flights to and from Iraq, the governments of Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are denying entry to Iraqi passport holders.
Qatar is still allowing transit passengers from Iraq to transfer via Doha and Qatar Airways continues to operate its regularly scheduled flights between Erbil and Doha.
The Iraqi federal government has barred entry to passport holders from China, Thailand, Singapore, Iran, France, Italy, Spain, Bahrain, Kuwait, Japan, and South Korea.
The KRG is following the Iraqi federal government’s regulations with the exception of allowing French and Spanish passport holders to enter.
The KRG has suspended all flights between the Kurdistan Region and the Iraqi cities of Baghdad, Basra, and Najaf.
Private airlines
Erbil International Airport published a statement earlier on Thursday confirming it would remain fully operational and detailed which airlines have imposed restrictions.
Although the majority of airlines are currently operating as normal, some services may be subject to cancellation for commercial reasons, the statement said.
All Fly Erbil, Pegasus, Tailwind, and Turkish Airways flights serving Turkish destinations have been suspended until March 28.
Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines (MEA) is also not allowing Iraqi passport holders to board and will suspended flights from March 16 to 23.
Although Iraqi Airways is still operating flights departing to Turkey, these flights are reserved for Iraqi nationals stranded in Turkey and are not available for Erbil travelers wishing to fly into Turkey.
Likewise, Cham Wings has been operating flights between Erbil and Damascus, but only to return Syrians in the Kurdistan Region back to Damascus. Cham Wings will suspend operations to Erbil after the last flight on March 14.
Although Austrian Airlines will continue to run flights throughout March, it has cancelled flights on March 13 – seemingly for commercial reasons.
Fly Dubai has not suspended services to Erbil, but will cancel all flights scheduled for March 17, 20, 21, 25, 27, 28 and 30.
COVID-19 screening
Erbil International Airport is screening all arrivals with temperature checks.
Jones, the airport’s marketing and commercial advisor, said no passengers have been quarantined or found to have an abnormally high temperature since the measure was introduced.
“Any Iraqi passport holder who is found, or suspected to have the COVID-19 will be placed in quarantine by the KRG authorities. Foreign passport holders will be returned to their point of origin on the first available flight,” Jones said.
Departing passengers will not face any additional medical screening measures unless showing clear symptoms, although they may face further screening at their destination. There are also no changes to baggage allowances.
Erbil International Airport has implemented a new hygiene regime, Jones said, with touch points like check-in desks, trolleys, and restrooms cleaned and disinfected more frequently.
KRG immigration control has also dropped the requirement for thumbprint scans, he added.
The Kurdistan Regional Government advises anyone in the Kurdistan Region displaying coronavirus symptoms to call its emergency hotline on 122. This service is available in Kurdish and Arabic 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. More information can be found on the government's website
