LONDON, May 15/PRNewswire/ — The legal action brought by Cyprus Turkish Airlines (CTA) to
challenge the ban on direct flights to Northern Cyprus will be heard this
Monday, 18 May in the Administrative Division of the High Court.
CTA and its UK tour operator, CTA Holidays Limited, is suing
the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to compel it to lift the ban on direct
flights between UK airports and Northern Cyprus, which has lasted 35 years.
Currently, CTA, together with all other airlines, must land in Turkey en
route both to and from Northern Cyprus. This increases flight times, airfares
and fuel emissions, but has absolutely no operational justification.
CTA claims the ban on direct flights to and from Northern Cyprus is both
unlawful and unjust. Recent legal advice seems to bear out CTA’s claim. Two
eminent QCs have already stated that there is no legal reason why the UK
should not allow direct flights. The UK Government has repeatedly said that it is in favour of direct
flights if permitting them is consistent with its obligations in
international law. Yet, all CTA’s applications to restore direct flights have
been refused, on the grounds that this would be contrary to the 1944 Chicago
Convention on International Civil Aviation. CTA’s position is that the Government has misunderstood the Chicago
Convention or its impact on the legality of direct flights, and that the
Government should therefore grant their applications.
The ban on direct flights ban to and from Northern Cyprus has long been a
contentious issue. In a recent debate (on 5th July 2006) in the House of
Lords, the government stated: “We continue to support in principle the
commencement of direct flights to Northern Cyprus. We believe direct flights
between the UK and the North would contribute significantly to the prospects
for reunification.”
However, since this statement was made, no progress at all has been
achieved in restoring them. (CTA flies around 100,000 visitors from the UK to
Northern Cyprus each year).
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