Wikipedia

Jalal Talabani International Airport

Jalal Talabani International Airport, formerly known as Sulaymaniyah International Airport (IATA: ISU, ICAO: ORSU[4]) is 14 kilometers west of the city of Sulaymaniyah in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The airport encompasses an approximate area of 13.5 square kilometers. The combined capacity of the airport terminals is currently 1.5 million passengers per year and can be expanded to accommodate up to 3 million passengers annually.[5] Despite this capacity, passenger traffic in this airport is very low, peaking at only 574,645 passengers in 2015.[6]

Jalal Talabani International Airport
مطار جلال طالباني الدولي
Summary
OperatorFederal government of Iraq (ICAA), Kurdistan Regional Government[1]
ServesSulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Elevation AMSL2,492 ft / 760 m
Coordinates35°33′39″N 45°18′52″E / 35.56083°N 45.31444°E / 35.56083; 45.31444
Websitesulairport.krd
Map
ISU is located in Iraq
ISU
ISU
Location in Iraq
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
13/31 3,500 11,483 Concrete
Statistics (2022)
Passengers428,609
Aircraft operations5,513
Source: ICAA,[2] COSIT.[3]

The airport was originally opened in 2005 under the name Sulaymaniyah International Airport.[7] In 2025, it was proposed for the airport to have the name changed to Jalal Talabani International Airport,[8] and this change took effect on 19 March 2026, following approval by the Iraqi Council of Ministers and the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA).[9][10]

History

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Construction of the airport began in November 2003 following the removal of Saddam Hussein, with the foundation stone laid that month.[7] It was officially opened by Jalal Talabani, who was back then the president of Iraq, on 20 July 2005, under the name Sulaymaniyah International Airport.[9] Several months after its opening, on 2 November 2005, the airport received international recognition from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).[10]

International flights were shut down from 29 September 2017 following a decision by the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) due to the 2017 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict, but the airport remained open for domestic and humanitarian flights.[11] The international flights ban was lifted in March 2018 by Haider Al-Abadi.[12] The airport has been operated by the Iraqi government following the 2017 ban.[11]

In September 2025, Sulaymaniyah International Airport was officially renamed Jalal Talabani International Airport, in honor of the late Jalal Talabani, former President of Iraq and a prominent Kurdish leader. The renaming followed a proposal from the Jalal Talabani Foundation, which had pursued the change for over four years.[13] The proposal was approved by the Iraqi Council of Ministers and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.[10] The name change officially took effect on 19 March 2026, following a decision by the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA).[14] From that day on, the new designation was adopted in all official correspondence, aeronautical charts, and related technical documentation. Airport officials described the renaming as a “historic event” honoring Jalal Talabani’s legacy.[15]

Facilities

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Passenger terminals

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The airport has three terminals; a departures terminal, an arrivals terminal and a VIP terminal.[7] The passenger terminal building has a two-level layout.[16] The two levels are organized as follows:

  • Ground floor (Arrivals): Passengers proceed through passport control, baggage claim, and customs inspection. Currency exchange counters and car rental desks are located in this area.[17]
  • First floor (Departures): Contains airline check-in counters, security checkpoints, passport control, and boarding gates. Duty-free shops and waiting lounges are available after security.[17][16]

The VIP terminal is used primarily for private jets, government officials, and high-profile passengers. It offers dedicated check-in, private lounges, and expedited customs and immigration processing.[10]

Cargo facilities

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The cargo area is operated by Azmar Air[a] as the cargo agent and Gulf Mar as the exclusive cargo handling company.[17][18] Gulf Mar’s cargo handling capacity is approximately 2 million tons per year. The cargo facility of this airport features three functional decks that can offload three cargo aircraft simultaneously, making it one of the largest cargo hubs in the Kurdistan Region.[17]

Runways and navigation

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The airport has a single asphalt runway, designated 13/31.[19][20] The runway length is 3,500 meters (11,483 feet) and width is 45 meters (148 feet), capable of accommodating wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and Airbus A330.[19][21] The runway is equipped with precision approach path indicators (PAPI) and runway edge lights for night operations.[21] The airport has VOR navigation aid (SUL) on a frequency of 117.00 MHz.[19][22] According to the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) AIP, the airport does not have an Instrument Landing System (ILS), which limits operations during poor weather conditions, particularly in winter when fog is common in the Sulaymaniyah plain.[21]

Airlines and destinations

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Statistics

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As of 2022, Sulaymaniyah International Airport is the fifth-busiest airport in Iraq by total passenger traffic, behind the airports in Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and Basra.

Year Passengers Cargo Aircraft operations Ref
Total%YoYTons%YoYMovements%YoY
2015574,645N.D.N.D.N.D.6,999N.D.[6]
2016525,993Decrease 8.5%198.4N.D.N.D.N.D.[32]
2017485,156Decrease 7.8%38.5Decrease 80.6%7,550N.D.[33]
2018309,869Decrease 36.1%N.D.N.D.5,392Decrease 28.6%[34]
2019474,919Increase 53.3%13,567.8N.D.7,500Increase 39.1%[35]
2020124,223Decrease 73.8%10,489.0Decrease 22.7%2,495Decrease 66.7%[36]
2021277,541Increase 123.4%N.D.N.D.4,257Increase 70.6%[37]
2022428,609Increase 54.4%3,857.5N.D.5,513Increase 29.5%[38]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Azmar Air is a ground handling company, not to be confused with the defunct Azmar Airlines.

References

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  1. ↑ "Kurdish government accepts Baghdad's conditions to end dispute". Arab News. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  2. ↑ "Iraq's AIP. Consolidated edition, February, 2021" (PDF). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  3. ↑ "اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2022" (PDF). Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  4. ↑ "Jalal Talabani International Airport" (PDF). gcaan-gov-iq. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  5. ↑ "About". www.sulairport.krd. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  6. 1 2 "اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2015" (PDF). Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 "Task Force Liberty News Briefs for July 24". DVIDS. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  8. ↑ Sulaimani, University of (4 October 2025). "University of Sulaimani Marks Eighth Anniversary of President Jalal Talabani's Passing with International Scientific Conference". University of Sulaimani. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Sulaymaniyah International Airport Officially Renamed Jalal Talabani International Airport". Channel8. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Sulaymaniyah Airport to Be Renamed Jalal Talabani Airport‌". www.pukmedia.com. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  11. 1 2 Georgy, Michael (29 September 2017). "Iraq Suspends International Flights to Kurdistan Region". Reuters. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  12. ↑ "Iraq lifts ban on international flights to Kurdish airports". Xinhua News Agency. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  13. ↑ "Sulaimaniyah International Airport Officially Becomes Jalal Talabani International Airport". www.pjtfoundation.org. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  14. ↑ "Sulaymaniyah International Airport to Become Jalal Talabani International Airport from 19 March". PUKmedia. 22 February 2026. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  15. ↑ "Sulaymaniyah Airport Now Bears the Name of Iraq's first Kurdish president Jalal Talabani". پەرەگراف. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Sulaymaniyah International Airport (ISU), (As-Sulaymaniyyah Governorate), Private Jet Charter | Victor". Victor, Private Jet Charter. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "Export Preview | Digital Logistics Capacity Assessments". lca.logcluster.org. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  18. ↑ "Transportation and Communication". krso.gov.krd. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  19. 1 2 3 "ORSU - Sulaimaniyah International Airport | SkyVector". skyvector.com. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "Sulaymaniyah International Airport | ORSU | Pilot info". Metar-Taf.com. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 "ORSU/Jalal Talabani International General Airport Information". acukwik.com. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  22. ↑ "World Aero Data: SULAYMANIYAH INTL -- ORSU". worldaerodata.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2007. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  23. ↑ "AJet'in Süleymaniye ve Basra Uçuşları Başlıyor" (in Turkish).
  24. ↑ "Condor mit neuen Routen ab Düsseldorf und Frankfurt". aerotelegraph.com. 14 November 2025.
  25. ↑ "Sulaimaniyah travel guide". www.flydubai.com.
  26. ↑ "Iraqi Airways to resume domestic and international flights on Friday". Iraqi News Agency. 8 April 2026.
  27. ↑ "IA 105 Iraqi Airways from Sulyamaniyah to Dubai on 26 June 2026". www.aviability.com.
  28. ↑ "Iraqi Airways to Resume Flights to Turkey from Jalal Talabani Airport". Channel 8. 16 May 2026.
  29. ↑ "Mahan Air resumes flights between Tehran and Sulaymaniyah on 10JUN18. One weekly, A310. #Iran". Twitter. 24 May 2018.
  30. ↑ "Pegasus, Irak'ta Süleymaniye uçuşlarına başlıyor".
  31. ↑ "THY'nin Süleymaniye Programı Belli Oldu" (in Turkish).
  32. ↑ "اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2016" (PDF). Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  33. ↑ "اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2017" (PDF). Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  34. ↑ "اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2018" (PDF). Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  35. ↑ "اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2019" (PDF). Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  36. ↑ "اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2020" (PDF). Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  37. ↑ "اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2021" (PDF). Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  38. ↑ "اﻟﻧﻘل اﻟﺟوي ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘطﺎع اﻟﺣﮐوﻣﻲ إﺣﺻﺎء ﻧﺷﺎط ﺔـ ﻟﺳﻧ 2022" (PDF). Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
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