Lufthansa Group low-cost arm Eurowings updated its “Current Information” page on 21 October 2026, confirming that flights between Germany and Erbil, Iraq (EBL) will remain suspended through 24 October. The airline cites an “ongoing security review” following drone activity near Erbil International Airport earlier this month. Eurowings continues to serve Beirut and Tel Aviv as scheduled but is offering fee-free rebooking or refunds for all affected Erbil passengers. The pause affects five weekly services from Düsseldorf and two from Stuttgart, routes popular with Germany’s 140 000-strong Kurdish diaspora and with oil-and-gas contractors moving personnel to the Kurdistan Region. Corporate travel departments with October crew-change cycles should secure alternative routings via Istanbul or Vienna, the only hubs with consistent Erbil operations this week. Companies must also verify Iraqi visa validity when rerouting because Kurdish Regional Government visas issued on arrival in Erbil are not honoured at Baghdad. From a mobility-risk perspective, the incident is a reminder to register travellers with Germany’s ELEFAND crisis portal. Insurers note that most German corporate travel policies still provide cover for northern Iraq but require pre-trip security briefings and GPS tracking for stays over 48 hours. Eurowings says it will reassess the route early next week. If security stabilises, flights could restart ahead of the busy November repatriation period when many Kurdish-German families visit relatives during the Mawlid holiday.
