ISTANBUL: Turkey accused Cyprus yesterday of failing to seek permission for a flight carrying Covid-19 medical supplies to use its airspace before the aircraft took off.
The flight from China on Wednesday was chartered by EU member Cyprus to deliver supplies needed in the fight against the novel coronavirus, including protective masks, shoe covers and disposable surgical gowns.
The plane entered Turkish airspace at which point a reguest was made to pass through.
Ankara denied the request on the grounds it had come too late to coordinate and forced the pilot to divert towards Moscow, adding several hours to the flight.
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Ankara enforces an embargo on Cypriot air and shipping traffic but does have an exception for humanitarian operations that included ambulance planes or rescue flights.
“The plane that took off (from China) had not sought permission before the flight,” the ministry said.
The eastern Mediterranean island is divided between the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state which controls its southern two-thirds, and the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus recognised only by Ankara.
The Turkish foreign ministry said the ban was as per the “standard restrictons” concerning Cyprus-related flights but that “an exception could have been made for humanitarian purposes” if the request had come before take-off.
The ministry accused Cyprus of seeking to abuse the issue for political reasons.
Cypriot Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos said Wednesday the Cypriot foreign ministry had been informed of the aircraft incident and would issue a formal diplomatic protest.