The first wide-body aircraft has landed at Ercan Airport

The wide-body, 329-seat Airbus A350-900 passenger aircraft operated by Turkish Airlines has commenced regular flights to the new Ercan Airport in the TRNC.

Flight TK960, with 258 passengers on board, left Istanbul for Northern Cyprus on November 1, 2023, and received a water cannon salute upon its arrival at Ercan Airport.

A ceremony took place in the departure hall of the airport terminal to celebrate the inaugural landing of a wide-body aircraft at Ercan.

The event was graced by the presence of the Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus, Ünal Üstel, the Deputy Prime Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth, and Environment, Fikri Ataoğlu, the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Erhan Arıklı, the Turkish Ambassador to Nicosia, Metin Feyzioglu, officials from Turkish Airlines, and representatives from various tourism organizations.

Erol Şenol, the Vice President of Turkish Airlines for the Middle East and Northern Cyprus, delivered the opening speech, expressing the significance of the day for him.

Şenol remarked that the construction of the new airport in Istanbul led to a substantial increase in passenger and flight numbers, linking Turkey to the rest of the world. He anticipates the new airport in the TRNC will fulfill a similar role.

Furthermore, Şenol announced that Anadolu Jet is set to boost the frequency of flights to Northern Cyprus. He stated, "In an effort to bolster tourism, we are committed to providing students and residents of Northern Cyprus with superior services at more accessible prices. We plan to augment the flight operations from Turkey to the TRNC".