Turkey’s tourism minister said on Thursday he expects flights to return to normal by the end of June, after airlines canceled most flights to stem the spread of the coronavirus, local Turkish media reported.
Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told broadcaster CNN Türk that air traffic from Asia would likely be opened first, followed by Russia, then the Balkans and Europe. Domestic flights would also restart, he said.
Turkish Airlines has extended the cancellation of its flights from April 17 to May 1, while limited domestic flights continue. Pegasus Airlines has stopped all flights.
Turkey’s tourism sector had an expectation of 58 million visitors this year, but the minister ruled out that target despite being optimistic due to low level of cancellations in reservations with Turkish tourism companies.