Ercan Airport, flight restrictions, and Turkic aviation developments
Ercan Airport is located in Northern Cyprus, which is governed by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)—a state recognized only by Turkey. The UK, EU, and most of the international community do not officially recognize TRNC as a sovereign nation. Because of this:
This situation has led to frustration among the 300,000+ Turkish Cypriots living in the UK, as well as British nationals with ties to Northern Cyprus. In fact, UK Parliament members have called for lifting the ban, arguing that Ercan Airport meets international aviation security standards and that the restriction is discriminatory.
The practice of allowing passengers from Ercan Airport to remain on the plane during the stopover in Turkey—known as “touchdown” flights—was officially ended in June 2017.
Since then, all passengers traveling from Northern Cyprus to the UK must disembark in Turkey, go through security screening, and reboard a different aircraft for the onward journey.
This change was enforced due to UK aviation security regulations, which require all flights from unrecognized territories to undergo full checks in a recognized country before entering UK airspace.May be joining organisation of Turkic states could open doors or if UK changes its mind and opens doors for direct flights so basic human rights of over 300000 turkish cypriots living in uk can fly to Ercan like any citizens.