MIAMI — Turkish Airlines has
announced the resumption of
services to the United States after
the military coup attempt occurred
in Turkey last Saturday.
Following the events, the U.S.
Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) issued a ban of “all airline
carriers, regardless of country of
registry, are prohibited from flying
into the United States from Turkey
either directly or via third country.”
Turkish Airlines is the sole carrier
providing direct flights between
Turkey and the United States, with
services from its hub in Istanbul
Atatürk Airport to nine cities in the
U.S. — Los Angeles, San Francisco,
Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, New
York, Boston, Miami and
Washington, D.C.
The restrictions were lifted
yesterday at 13:45 EDT (17:45
GMT). Accordingly, all scheduled
Turkish Airlines flights to the U.S.
were set to resume today, with
Turkish Airlines flight number 3
Istanbul-New York JFK, which
departed at 07:05 local Istanbul
time, 20 minutes behind its normal
schedule.
The attempted coup followed a
suicide attack in June that killed
45 people at Istanbul Atatürk
Airport, which
is Turkey’s largest airport and a
major transport hub for
international travelers.
While flights have resumed, travel
warnings largely remain in place.
The U.S. State Department
suggested citizens “reconsider
travel to Turkey at this time,”
warning visitors to “stay away from
large crowds, including at popular
tourist destinations” and “exercise
heightened vigilance and caution
when visiting public access areas.”
PIPSOT 