ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Hundreds of travelers from the Kurdistan Region have been stranded for days at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen International Airport after regional conflict led to airspace closures, with one stuck voyager telling The New Region that the situation is one of "great chaos."

On Sunday, Erbil International Airport Director Ahmed Hoshyar told The New Region that airports in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region would be closed for 72 hours. However, later reports indicated that flights had resumed and airport operations continued despite the US and Iran trading missile strikes.

“Since Sunday, we have been stuck at Istanbul Airport,” Abdullah Shukur, a Kurdish traveler, told The New Region on Thursday, describing the situation as “great chaos.”

“They do not help us, and they do not speak to us respectfully,” Shukur said, referring to the staff.

Regarding the lack of assistance, Shukur said children among the stranded travelers were left without access to essential items, including milk bottles and pacifiers, which remained in checked baggage that authorities had not returned.

“There is no place here to buy milk,” he said, stressing that “everything here is so expensive,” and the crowd has only been provided with “one meal a day at best.” 

“We hope the [Kurdistan Regional Government] will come to our aid,” he said, noting that the crowd includes hundreds of people from two or three flights, mostly from the Kurdistan Region and the rest of Iraq.

Photo: Hawre Khalid

Aram Mohammed, another Kurdish traveler, has also faced uncertainty among the stranded crowd after entering Turkey on a single-entry visa from Europe. He is now unable to return to Europe, remain in Turkey without a Turkish visa, or return to the Kurdistan Region.

“It is not clear when he will be able to get out of this situation,” his friend described. 

Ahmed Abdullah Muhammed, a recent graduate from Moscow, said he has been stranded in Turkey for a day after completing his studies in Russia and was en route to the Kurdistan Region. “I have nothing left there, and there is no way I can return to Moscow,” he said.

“Neither can we go back, nor do they [Turkey] give us visas,” Mohammed said, adding that “we don't know what will happen to us.”

“All these people are stranded here, those who have children, those who have patients with them. It is a dire situation that we are in,” he said. 

In early April, Iraq reopened its airspace to flights after 40 days of closure, following a temporary US-Iran ceasefire. 

The US-Israeli war on Iran saw daily strikes on Iraq, especially near Baghdad and Erbil airports, carried out by Iran and pro-Iran militia groups under the pretext of targeting US interests. 

Additional reporting by Hawre Khalid