Direct Flights.

[Ralph]

Hello All,
I recently traveled through the new Ercan Airport, and I am wondering what will happen in 2024 when Turkey will have occupied North Cyprus for 50 years. will the TRNC be recognized as a country? will there be direct flights into Ercan from worldwide countries without changing in Istanbul?

[Brazen]

Hello All,
I recently traveled through the new Ercan Airport, and I am wondering what will happen in 2024 when Turkey will have occupied North Cyprus for 50 years. will the TRNC be recognized as a country? will there be direct flights into Ercan from worldwide countries without changing in Istanbul?

Very doubtful

[Dave G]

Only the South can approve international flights so I assume that will never happen

[Tanky]

Read the interesting article in Cyprus Saturday paper. As the above said unless the South say so it is not going to happen.

The UK and the EU are too spineless to make a firm decision yet they allow direct flights to Taiwan.

[Ralph]

So why has all that been spent on an international type of airport.

[iancrumpy]

So why has all that been spent on an international type of airport?

I was wondering something similar - Why have the terminal building on the south-side of the roughly-west-to-east runway? It seems there is ample space just to the east of the old terminal, but instead we have to drive for at least an extra 5 minutes through a tunnel under the runway that, I estimate, must have cost nearly £100 million. Yes, it seems naive to me, but is it possible there is (was?) an expectation that Ercan will in the future be an internationally-accepted airport serving both the north and south. I can't see it happening ... but then I think again about the location of the terminal building and having to build that expensive tunnel.

[Keithcaley]

Crumpy, I had exactly the same thoughts....

[iancrumpy]

Crumpy, I had exactly the same thoughts....

Great minds think alike KeithCaley By the way, having just driven to the airport this evening to pick up my wife, I think my estimate of £100 million for the tunnel was somewhat excessive ... maybe somewhere between £20 million and £50 million ... still a lot though ...

[Reyntj]

The greeks are going to push for a settlement now so that the north gets EU sanctions to stop the Russians moving here

Tongue in cheek but that's their mentality ..
It's fine when they launder the russian money but start jumping up and down when the baton gets passed on ..

[waddo]

Reyntj, so will the Russians in the South be stopped from moving to the North if we do get fully into the EU??? They can have a settlement whenever they want - all they have to do is agree with the North and it's a done deal. But if they do that then the UN will leave - oh dear - who will buy everything then??? - lol.

[Walesforever]

Hello All,
I recently traveled through the new Ercan Airport, and I am wondering what will happen in 2024 when Turkey will have occupied North Cyprus for 50 years. will the TRNC be recognized as a country? will there be direct flights into Ercan from worldwide countries without changing in Istanbul?

Come back in another 50 years and ask again. It ain’t happening and never will unfortunately

[Ralph]

Hello WalesForever,
Thats a bold statement, you sound very sure of yourself.

[Walesforever]

Let’s see who’s right in 50 years time

[Brazen]

It may possibly happen if Turkey annex NC and make it part of Turkey. That’s the only scenario where I believe it could happen

[Keithcaley]

It may possibly happen if Turkey annex NC and make it part of Turkey. That’s the only scenario where I believe it could happen

But if Turkey simply annexe TRNC it would not be recognised - any more than Russia annexing Crimea and parts of Ukraine was recognised.

If it isn't recognised, then no direct flights would be allowed, because the ROC would still be internationally recognised as the legal 'owner' of the territory, and the only one with the power to designate a 'Point of Entry' - sad and annoying as that is!

[wrymouth]

Of course nobody mentions that the UK unilaterally annexed Cyprus in 1914 (after 36 years of a so called "Lease" !) when Turkey took sides with Germany. We also offered to cede the island to Greece (under certain conditions) but were turned down. It seems to me that the subject of "Legal Ownership" is questionable. If Turkey were to absorb the TRNC it would only, in my opinion, be partly reacquiring what it had obtained by conquest in 1571.

[waz-24-7]

As the ROC is now an EU member it is even less likely that the Cyprus problem will get resolved at least whilst the ROC remain anti Turkey.
The UK being a non EU member now has far less influence upon the matter. UK sovereign territory in the South and within the EU is not threatened but should the ROC rattle the cage ( like the Spanish over Gibraltar) then that would be interesting