Turkish passenger flights with Iran suspended amid coronavirus outbreak

Duvar English

Commercial flights between Turkey and Iran have been suspended amid coronavirus outbreak, the Turkish civil aviation authority said on Feb. 26.

“Passenger flights between Turkey and Iran have been suspended until further notice and Iranian carriers will be allowed to transport passengers from Turkey to Iran with the condition of coming without any passengers. Turkish passengers will not be carried on these flights,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Twitter.

Düzeltme; Türkiye ile İran arasındaki yolcu uçuşları ikinci bir duyuruya kadar durdurulmuş olup İran'lı taşıyıcıların yolcusuz gelerek Türkiye'den İran'a gidecek yolcuları taşımasına izin verilecektir. Bu uçuşlarda Türk yolcu taşınmayacaktır. Kamuoyuna ve ilgililere duyurulur.

— Sivil Havacılık GM (@SHGM) February 26, 2020

Turkey has already closed its land borders and railway service with Iran, which reported 95 confirmed cases of coronavirus.

On Feb. 25, Turkey's flag carrier Turkish Airlines had announced that it suspended its Iran flights -- except the capital Tehran -- until March 10. It had also reduced its number of daily trips to Tehran to two, and restricted return flights to Turkish passengers only.

The carrier had also said that in compliance Turkey's official authorities, non-Turkish citizens who were in China or Iran's northern city of Qom in the last 14 days would not be granted entry to Turkey.

Turkish Airlines also extended its cancellation of services to mainland China until Feb. 29.

The novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, has sounded global alarm, with China reporting more than 2,700 deaths from the outbreak, and health experts grappling to find a cure.

Outside mainland China, the coronavirus has spread to more than 30 countries, including the U.S., U.K., Singapore, France, Russia, Spain and India.

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak an international health emergency.