Low-cost airline Onur Air has announced the launch of flights from Ercan airport to Diyarbakir and Gaziantep, in a move welcomed by TRNC tourism bosses.
The maiden Ercan-Diyarbakır flight took off on Sunday at 11.25am, with a total of 107 passengers on board. The aircraft was welcomed by Turkish Justice and Development (AK) Party Diyarbakir MP Ebubekir Bal, Onur Air trade department deputy manager Orhan Sivrikaya, Serhat Özçelik, head of the T&T consortium running Ercan, and other officials.
The return flight took off for Ercan at 2.20pm with 113 passengers and arrived at 3.35pm, where there was the traditional “welcome” gesture of two fire engines spraying water on the arriving aircraft, and passengers were treated to Turkish Cypriot goodies including lemon squash, and olive and hellim breads.
There will be flights, including seats in Business Class, from Ercan to Diyarbakır on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays 11.25am, and from Diyarbakır to Ercan on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 12.25pm.
The airline has also launched an Ercan-Gaziantep route, with flights every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11.30am returning at 1.30pm. Onur Airlines Cyprus representative Fatih Arida said the new routes brought the airline’s total to 40.
By Kerem Hasan for Cyprus Today
