Govt could launch legal bid to enable direct flights to TRNC after Brexit

A FRESH legal bid in the UK courts to enable direct flights between Britain and the TRNC could be launched after Brexit, Prime Minister

Ersin Tatar has revealed to Cyprus Today.

He said “new political and legal action is being planned” on the issue 10 years after the now defunct Cyprus Turkish Airlines and its UK operator, CTA Holidays Ltd, lost a Court of Appeal case.

Mr Tatar was reacting to Cyprus Today’s front page story last week that quoted his British counterpart Boris Johnson telling Turkish Cypriots in London that he would look into the direct flights issue and that the isolation of Turkish Cypriots in North Cyprus was “unfair and unjust”.

While Mr Tatar declined to reveal any details about possible new court action on the direct flights issue, he said: “The situation has changed in the last 10

years. The most important change will be Brexit and the UK being able to make unilateral decisions.

“Secondly, Ercan airport has been expanded and is to have state-of-the-art security. There is also little or no hope of a comprehensive solution [in Cyprus].

“Turkish Cypriots will take fresh legal and political action [on direct flights].”

Tourism Minister Ünal Üstel, also responding to the Cyprus Today story, said: “The obstacle to direct flights is the fact that the [new] Ercan airport [terminal] has yet to be finished.”

“We want Ercan airport to be finished immediately so that we can force direct flights through the courts.”

British Residents Society (BRS) health and welfare officer Julian Mawdesley said he “welcomed” the remarks of Mr Johnson.

“The whole issue is that Ercan airport is not a recognised airport,” he said. “The challenge is how to get around this.”