Calls for direct flights to Turkish Black Sea region
PEOPLE from the Black Sea region of Turkey who live in North Cyprus say they are suffering because of a lack of direct flights.
The complaints were made during a protest outside the Turkish Airlines office in Lefkoşa on Thursday last week, which was organised by the TRNC Black Sea Cultural Association.
Reading out a press statement on behalf of the protesters, Black Sea Cultural Association board member Adem Baş noted that approximately 40,000 people of Black Sea origin live in the
TRNC and that the lack of direct flights creates problems for them, especially during the summer months.
People wanting to fly between Ercan airport and settlements along the Black Sea coast such as Trabzon, Samsun and Rize must typically board connecting flights via İstanbul or Ankara, adding greatly to the cost and duration of the journey.
“The absence of Black Sea flights is a disappointment for our people,” Mr Baş said. “Considering this need, it is important for our citizens to organise regular flights immediately.”
Black Sea Cultural Association chairman Murat Civelek said there are flights to “six of Turkey’s seven regions but not to the Black Sea” and branded as “untrue” claims that flights between North Cyprus and the Black Sea region would “incur losses” for airlines.
Esentepe Mayor Cemal Erdoğan, who also took part in the protest, said: “As both the association and an initiative of the people from the Black Sea, we will not give up on this matter and we will seek our rights
through democratic means to the end.”