ERBIL — Erbil International Airport on Monday refused to permit an Iranian airplane the permission to land due to procedural issues, an official said.
The airplane departed from Urmia, northwest of Iran, to Erbil without fulfilling the official procedures and providing Erbil with required information, according to Ahmed Hoshyar, Director of Erbil International Airport.
Hoshyar noted that the airplane, operated by Iranian Pouya Air company, was notified four days earlier that its landing was not possible without having a representative officially registered in the Kurdistan Region capital.
BasNews has learned that the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority was also informed about the issue and it obliged the airplane to return to Urmia.
Erbil International Airport is one of the top busiest airports in Iraq with nearly 50 flights everyday. It has the capacity to receive 3 million passengers annually.