Flights to north Cyprus may not start on 28 May, students and workers to be allowed in in 3rd stage

Flights to northern Cyprus may not start on May, 28 due to lack of structure on ground, said TRNC Minister of Public Works and Transport, Tolga Atakan.

Tolga Atakan made the statement on Thursday saying that there is no clear structure and date regarding the conditions, how and when scheduled flights will start as of today, "I can say that the flights will not be on 28 May."

 

Responding to allegations that some airline companies have started selling tickets and even gave the date of 28 May, Atakan said, 

I can say that the flights will not be on 28 May. Several different alternatives are being studied. There is intensive work with the European Union, airlines, international carriers, health and transportation authorities. There are different issues discussed now. Let me give an example; one view is that flights can be made, leaving some seats empty. However, airline companies say that this is an inapplicable system both economically and in terms of health safety, he said.

The claims that scheduled flights will begin at the beginning of June do not reflect the facts, he added.

He pointed out that a three-stage structure is planned for entering the country, and that the return of  TRNC to the country is in the first stage after June 1.

He noted that in the second stage, TRNC citizens who do not have residence in the country will be admitted to the country, and the third stage will include those who are not citizens but whose lives are in TRNC for the purpose of working, education or residence.

He said, 

There is no historical planning for the second and third stages yet. We are currently planning for the first stage, how many citizens we have, where the arrivals will be quarantined. We need to know clearly how many of our citizens will come to calculate their economic side.

He also warned citizens saying, 

I observe that we have entered into a structure that disregards the success of the discipline that has continued until now. This is a very dangerous comfort. If we do not comply with the social distance, personal protection and hygiene rules, we can enter a situation that will reverse the comfortable process we have experienced so far.

Speaking at BRT, Tolga Atakan noted that the pandemic process should be evaluated by considering the possibilities such as "will there be a second wave, is there a danger of spread".