BAGHDAD

Iraqi Transport Minister Nasser Al-Shibli inaugurated the first-ever international airport in the northern city of Kirkuk on Sunday.

“The airport will start receiving flights as of Sunday,” Imad Daham, an Iraqi adviser, told the state news agency INA.

Located in the southwest of Kirkuk, the airport is capable of receiving 3.5 million passengers annually, according to local officials.

It took four years to complete the new airport in Kirkuk.

Iraq currently has four international airports in Erbil, Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah, and Najaf.

* Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report