Kurdistan
Turkish Airlines planes at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, March 22, 2019. File photo: Isa Terli / AA
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkey has grounded all flights to and from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, Italy, and South Korea to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Turkey’s health ministry said Saturday.
“As part of measures that we have earlier taken by stopping our flight to and from Iran and China with Turkey, we decided to halt all of our flights from Italy, South Korea and Iraq until further notice due to the outbreak of coronavirus,” Turkish health minister Fahrettin Koca said in a tweet.
Turkey’s national carrier Turkish Airlines announced on Saturday it has reduced its flights to Italy by almost half for the month of March due to the coronavirus outbreak in the southern European state, according to Anadolu Agency.
Turkish Airlines says it will also cancel flights to and from Seoul in South Korea and flights serving the Iraqi and Kurdistan Region cities of Baghdad, Basra, Najaf, Sulaimani, and Erbil from February 29 to March 1, AA reports.
“As the airline that always puts the travel security at the forefront, Turkish Airlines will continue to monitor the latest developments [...] with the national and international health authorities and take appropriate precautions,” it said in a statement.
Turkey and the Kurdistan Region have no reported cases of the coronavirus. Iraq meanwhile has reported 13 cases among people who have recently returned from Iran, where there is a serious outbreak.
Last updated at 11.59 pm
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