NTV, a privately-owned Turkish TV broadcaster, said earlier in the day that the flights had been banned as part of economic sanctions against groups backing Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters, who are continuing guerilla attacks against Turkish troops on the Turkish-Iraqi border.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is set to hold talks with United States President George W. Bush on the issue on Monday in Washington. The U.S. has advised Turkey against a large-scale cross-border operation against Kurdish separatists.
Turkey has now amassed up to 150,000 troops in anticipation of a major military operation, which has been backed by parliament, against around 3,500 PKK insurgents based in Iraq.
The Turkish government approved on Wednesday a set of sanctions against groups backing the rebels. The measures are likely to weaken the Kurdish administration in north Iraq, led Masoud Barzani, who Anakara has criticized over lack of action against the militants.
Ankara has urged the Iraqi authorities to ban the PKK, take strong measures to prevent the Kurdish separatists entering Turkey from northern Iraq, and to hand over PKK leaders.
Turkish media reported today that Ankara could impose further sanctions against north Iraq, including trade restrictions, power supply cuts, and financial restrictions on companies controlled by the Kurdish administration.
Analysts say the Kurdish administration's possible losses from an economic embargo could exceed $400 million.
Turkish authorities have warned they may start the cross-border operation at any moment. A final decision is expected to be made after Prime Minister Erdogan's talks with President Bush on November 5.
Prior to that, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Ankara on November 2 to discuss ways of dealing with the PKK.
Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey expects urgent action from the United States to destroy Kurdish insurgent bases in north Iraq.
The PKK, labeled by the U.S., NATO and the EU as a terrorist organization, has been fighting for autonomy status in southeast Turkey for nearly 25 years. The conflict has so far claimed about 40,000 lives, including 80 Kurdish militants killed in special operations conducted by the Turkish army near the border with Iraq last week. Since late September, 35 Turkish soldiers have been killed by Kurdish guerilla attacks.
