Direct flights set to make travel to Assyria easier
Diaspora Assyrians seeking to visit different parts of Assyria will soon have more travel options with the reopening of Mosul International Airport and the upgrade of Mardin’s airport to international status.
The government of Turkey officially upgraded Mardin Airport to full international status in May 2025, reportedly following requests by Assyrian representatives lobbying for direct international flights to southeastern Turkey's Assyrian region.
The change, widely welcomed by Assyrians, significantly eases travel for members of the diaspora who wish to visit their ancestral homeland, avoiding costly and time-consuming layovers and stopovers.
Despite the official upgrade, direct international flights have yet to become available. Officials in Mardin say they are in talks with several carriers, but that ultimately the decision is now in the hands of the airlines, who must assess economic feasibility. “To hurry up the process, people should intentionally search for direct flights in search engines, as flight companies use such metrics to determine interest in a certain route,” one official from Mardin said, asserting that it is only a matter of time before direct international flights begin.
With international flights expected soon, the upgraded airport is anticipated to stimulate economic growth, tourism, and cultural reconnection in the region. An estimated seven hundred thousand to one million diaspora Assyrians have roots in the wider area.
Reopening of Mosul airport to offer direct access to Nineveh Plain
Mosul International Airport has officially reopened to passengers, with the first flight, a domestic route operated by Iraqi Airways arriving from Baghdad International Airport on 6 November 2025.
The reopening marks the resumption of civilian air service to the city, more than a decade after the airport was shut down following the takeover by ISIS in 2014. Reconstruction began in 2022; the renovated airport, with upgraded terminals and infrastructure, is expected to handle around 630,000 passengers per year.
Airport officials say the facility is now technically and logistically ready, and they plan to restore international flights “in the near future.”
The reopening represents a major milestone in the broader recovery of Mosul. For diaspora Assyrians the airport offers the closest point to access the Nineveh Plain in Iraq's Assyrian region, and an alternative to Arbil International airport.
