Official says Lebanon airline to halt Irbil flights

BEIRUT (AP) - Lebanon's flagship carrier airline said Wednesday it will halt flights to and from Irbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdish region, after Friday in compliance with Iraqi civil aviation authorities.

Mohamad El-Hout, chairman of Middle East Airlines, said the decision came after Iraqi authorities ordered international carriers to halt flights to and from Irbil and Sulaimaniyah, the capital and second city of the Kurdish region, starting Friday.

"We are committed to implement" the decision, el-Hout said.

EgyptAir said Wednesday it would also cancel flights to Irbil. Low-cost airline FlyDubai says its flights to Irbil are in question from Saturday on.

The airlines' decision comes after the Kurdish region claimed victory in an independence referendum that has been vehemently rejected by Baghdad and Iraq's other neighbors.

Iraq's Transport Ministry has ordered all international carriers to suspend flights to the Kurdish region starting Friday. Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has given the Kurds until Friday to hand over control of their airports to federal authorities or face a flight ban.

The transport minister for Iraq's Kurdish region said Wednesday the region's international airports have not violated any laws that would warrant their closure.

Mawlood Bawa Murad told reporters his ministry is ready to negotiate with Baghdad "if they want to implement the law and show that Iraq has one air space."

The flight ban would affect "one way or another, the military aviation that operates from Irbil international airport," which is used for the campaign against the Islamic State group.

EgyptAir said in a statement it would suspend flights between Cairo and Irbil starting Friday, citing the Iraqi order. The airline flies between Cairo and Irbil three times per week.

FlyDubai said in a statement to The Associated Press that its flight Friday will operate as scheduled.

"We are aware of the situation and are liaising with our local representative regarding our operations" from Saturday.

The Lebanese airline has one flight per day to Irbil. It has no flights to Sulaimaniyah.

"This will affect the airline and contacts there," el-Hout said in a telephone interview. He said Lebanese and other travelers seeking to come to Beirut can fly through Baghdad or Basra.

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Associated Press writer Bram Janssen in Irbil, Iraq contributed.