The visit effectively combines two disputes -- chilly ties between Baghdad and Ankara, and the Iraqi federal government's row with Kurdistan over energy deals it has signed with foreign companies without federal approval.

"This flight did not obtain the necessary legal approvals, and it was therefore decided to prevent it from landing at Arbil airport," Nasser Bandar, the head of Iraq's civil aviation authority, told AFP.

An official from the Kurdistan government confirmed on condition of anonymity that Yildiz's plane was not permitted to land, adding that the minister was on his way to Arbil for the completion of an oil and gas development deal.

Ties between Baghdad and Ankara have been strained by issues including Turkey's refusal to extradite fugitive Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi and disagreements over the civil war in Syria.

Relations between Kurdistan and the federal government are meanwhile marred by disputes over energy contracts, territory in north Iraq that Kurdistan wants to incorporate over Baghdad's strong objections, and power-sharing.