CHARTER flights may start landing at the north’s Tymbou (Ercan) airport in the near future, according to claims made on Wednesday by the Turkish Cypriot EU Information Centre.
The EU Information Centre – a body attached to the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce – told reporters it was likely direct flights to the north would begin in the near future, but only if certain obstacles could be overcome.
The Centre’s spokeswoman Derya Beyatli said the Chamber of Commerce was looking at ways to overcome the legal and political barriers to direct flights to the north and that two possible approaches had been identified.
“The first approach involves the use of charter flights – rather than scheduled flights – between the north and other international airports. The second involves diplomatic channels and capitalises on positive statements made by the international community regarding the relaxing of sanctions on the north in the wake of EU membership,” Beyatli said.
“For scheduled flights to operate between two countries, each county’s Civil Aviation Organisation (CAO) has to give its approval before they can take place. But for charter flights, such permission in not needed.”
Beyatli says such flights had taken place before between Israel and the north and that they happened in exactly this way.
“Even if you have the flights taking place at the same time every day, no one can object, as long as they are not scheduled flights.”
Beyatli says that while Tymbou airport is unrecognised internationally, it has been approved by the ICAO, as far as technical requirements are concerned.
“In order to comply with the Treaty of Chicago, the ICAO must be informed when a new airport goes into operation, and as far as Ercan is concerned, this has was done by Turkey.”
A similar problem exists regarding Turkish Cypriot airspace, which like the airport is unrecognised but controls air-traffic for an average 300 planes per day. Revenue for its services are collected by Brussels-based Eurocontrol and, ironically, handed on to the Republic of Cyprus government.
The second way of overcoming obstacles to direct flights, says Beyatli, is to launch a diplomatic offensive in the EU, UK and US.
“Inroads have already been made in this direction, culminating in British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s very positive comments in Ankara this week that restrictions on direct flights to the north should be relaxed.
“Our view is that if the UK and US can schedule a number of flights, others will follow suit.”
Beyatli adds that even without international formal recognition of Tymbou airport, direct flights could still happen.
“Moldovia declared itself an autonomous republic, and despite the fact that its capital’s airport is not internationally recognised, direct flights take place without objection from the international community. There are even regular flights between there and Larnaca.”
