Kurdistan Region, Iraq airports operational amid global IT disturbance

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Airports in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq have remained operational as a large-scale technical disturbance led to disruption of flights around the world on Friday.

“All entering, exiting, and Iraqi-airspace crossing flights remain operational and there are no issues or delays at any Iraqi airports,” Jihad al-Diwan, media head of the Iraqi civil aviation authority, told Rudaw’s Mushtaq Ramadhan.

Hardi Sammad, media head of Kirkuk International Airport, also reported that there are no technical issues facing the airports and that flights continue as normal.

Flights remained operational in the Kurdistan Region airports as well.

“The problem has impacted some airports around the world, but our flights have faced no issues yet and everything is going according to plan,” said Handren Hiwa Mufti, director of Sulaimani International Airport.

A well-informed source from Erbil International Airport also confirmed to Rudaw that they have faced no technical issues.

A large-scale IT outage disrupted multiple industries globally on Friday, impacting Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom among many others. The outage caused disruptions in airline services, telecommunications, supermarket chains, television broadcasts, and even financial markets.

Airports have been unable to manage flight arrivals and departures effectively, leading to widespread suspensions and delays. Airline check-in systems and flight scheduling have been severely impacted, causing significant travel disruptions for passengers.

Australia's National Cyber Security Coordinator said that the outage was caused by third-party software platform problems, dispelling fears of cyberattacks. Microsoft acknowledged a widespread issue affecting its services and says it is working to restore normal operations.