Turkey: Airports' virus steps certified before flights

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Ahead of flights resuming, Turkey is launching a certification program to show that airports are taking all necessary measures against COVID-19, according to the transport and infrastructure minister.

"We are reorganizing our airports against pandemics such as coronavirus" during the normalization process, Adil Karaismailoglu said in a statement on Friday.

Soon all Turkish airports will have taken a wide range of precautions against COVID-19 and other possible infections, thanks to a new circular the ministry issued on the certification program, he noted.

"Turkey will be the first country to take holistic measures against the pandemic," Karaismailoglu stressed.

The move will pave the way for domestic flights to operate more safely, as they are set to resume after next Tuesday’s end of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, he added.

As COVID-19 travel restrictions went into effect all over the world, commercial flights ground to a halt in Turkey.

National flag carrier Turkish Airlines announced on Thursday it will resume domestic flights starting on June 4.

"We’re in talks with international organizations and relevant countries on international flights,” said Karaismailoglu.

"As a result, international flights are [also] planned to resume safely.”