Turkish Airlines suspends all flights until May 28

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish Airlines will not operate any domestic or international flights until May 28, the company announced on Tuesday.

Turkey’s national flag carrier said the decision to extend suspension of operations has been taken in public interest.

“In accordance with decisions taken by the official authorities, all flights have been suspended until May 28, 2020 in order to protect public health against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic,” read a statement issued by the airline.

The national flag carrier’s announcement comes a day after Turkey recorded its lowest number of new COVID-19 cases in 21 days.

The country’s overall count stands at 112,261, with 2,900 deaths and nearly 34,000 recoveries.

Aviation is among the worst-affected industries during the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit 185 countries and regions since emerging in China last December.

More than 3.06 million people have been infected worldwide, with the highest number in the US and Europe.

A significant proportion of patients – nearly 907,000 – have recovered from COVID-19, but the disease has claimed more than 212,000 lives so far, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the US.