British High Court turns down CTA's application

Cyprus Turkish Airlines and its UK tour operator, CTA Holidays Limited lost its long running legal challenge to overturn a ban on direct flights from the UK to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Cyprus Turkish Airlines (CTA) and its UK operator, CTA Holidays Limited, had sought a judicial review against the UK government’s 35 year ban.

However the call for a judicial review was dismissed by the Birmingham Civil Justice Centre.

Cyprus Turkish Airlines and its UK tour operator, CTA Holidays Limited lost its long running legal challenge to overturn a ban on direct flights from the UK to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Cyprus Turkish Airlines (CTA) and its UK operator, CTA Holidays Limited, had sought a judicial review against the UK government’s 35 year ban.

However the call for a judicial review was dismissed by the Birmingham Civil Justice Centre.

The British government argued that the lifting of the ban would contravene the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.

CTA, which flies about 100,000 visitors from the UK to the TRNC each year, says this increases flight times, fares and fuel emissions.

Lawyers for Cyprus Turkish Airlines had argued that the British government's continuing refusal to lift the ban was "unlawful and unjust".

Permitting direct flights between UK airports and northern Cyprus would have "huge, symbolic importance" for a divided island with a painful modern history, they said.

CTA also argued the ban had "absolutely no operational justification".

It added that the British government had misunderstood the Chicago Convention and there was also no justification under international law for banning direct flights.

Also, it said the ban unfairly restricted TRNC citizens and their companies wishing to travel and conduct business with the EU and the rest of the world.

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