Belarus vs Turkish Airlines
Ahead of the travel season, Belarus and Turkey have clashed again over the air space and tourism profits. The Agency of Financial News reports that on April 26 a Turkish Airlines passenger jet was not cleared to land at the Minsk aiport during the first charter flight between Antalia and the Belarus capital.
The plane was diverted to land in Moscow, while the passenegers were taken to Minsk by buses.In return, Turkey refused to accept Belarus's Belavia planes at its airports.
On April 27 a Turkish Airlines plane is scheduled to fly from Minsk to Antalia. It is not clear if this flight remains on the schedule. According to Belavia's wed site, there is no Minsk-Antalia-Minsk flight scheduled for the summer season.
The row between the companies started in June 2005 when the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority told Belarus in an ultimatum to issue permits for charter flights from Antalia to Minsk by the Turkish Airlines.Otherwise, Belavia's flights would not be cleared to land in Turkey, the Turkish Airlines threatened.
The flights by the Turkish Airlines to Antalia direct from Minsk were designed to become a cheap alternative to the usual transfers through Moscow, which has not been the best option for those travelling with kids.
According to the Agency of Financial news, the sides are being in tense talks. The Belarus aviation authorities also confirmed tough talks weer in place. The Turkish Embassy in Minsk also admitted that the aviation companies from the two countries had technical problems. The embassy said Turkey hoped to resolve the issue positively through negotiations.
