Lebanon’s and Egypt’s national carriers will halt flights to the Iraqi Kurdish regional capital Arbil this week at the request of the Baghdad authorities, they said on Wednesday.

Their decision comes after Iraq’s government threatened to ban international flights to and from Iraqi Kurdistan after the region held an independence referendum on Monday.

Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines and EgyptAir both said their flights to and from Arbil would be affected.

MEA chairman Mohammad al-Hout confirmed “the suspension of all flights to and from Arbil from Friday, upon the request of the Iraqi aviation authorities for the halt of all international flights to and from the airport.”

In a statement, EgyptAir also said its flights would halt from Friday “until further notice.”

Source: AFP