A UK court has rejected an appeal by Cyprus Turkish Airlines to lift the ban on direct flights from Britain to Northern Cyprus.
Cyprus Turkish Airlines challenged an earlier ruling at the UK Court of Appeal that maintained the ban on direct flights to the region, and the ruling was upheld by three appeal court judges, who said that lifting the ban would breach the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.
The judges also ruled approving flights would go against Britain’s duty to respect the rights of the Republic of Cyprus in the south.
The Turkish airline protested that the ban limits the freedom of Turkish Cypriots travelling around the world.
All Cyprus Turkish Airline flights will remain suspended, as they have been since June 22. The court ordered Cyprus Turkish Airlines to pay the British and Cypriot governments’ legal costs.