There have been fresh claims that North Cyprus Airlines will not start flying any time soon.
Hamdi Topcu, chief executive of Turkhish Airlines, one of the main partners in the new venture, revealed this week there was a “deadlock” in efforts to get the business airborne.
He said that the private sector shareholders had made “additional requests”, while one source suggested several had not been able to come up with the cash they pledged and had now asked the government for a loan to make up the difference.
Some had only been able to put up 25 per cent of the amount they pledged, according to the source.
In all, they are putting up $6.2 million into the new airline, with the TRNC government and Turkish Airlenes the other partners.
Public Works and Transportation Minister Hamza Ersan Saner had talked of the airline starting up in late March or early April, but there has still not been any application to the Civil Aviation Department in North Cyprus for permission to fly.
Mr Saner has also revealed it would start flying without its own aircraft, using scheduled Turkish Airlines and AnadoluJet flights from Ercan initially.
This means there will be no extra seats on aircraft flying to Ercan, adding to concerns in the tourism sector that not enough holidaymakers will come this year on top of a poor year in 2010 following the collapse of Cyprus Turkish Airlines last June.
Prime Minister Irsen Kucuk led the damage limitation, denying tere had been any setbacks and talking of a “slight glitch”.
He said this was not a major issue and could be resolved.
“There aren`t any obstacles in the establishment of the North Cyprus Airlines company,” he insisted doring Monday`s sitting of Parliament.
Unal Caginer, boss of the Acapulco Hotel in Catalkoy who invested $500,000, told Cyprus Today: “There is no problem or a deadlock. The shareholders are sticking to their agreement signed on January 2011. I have nothing to say on claims made about a deadlock or a problem. With God`s will this airline will be formed and will be up and running. I can`t give a time.”
He added that there would be a meeting of the shareholders “soon”, however.
Ersan Kelesoglu, president of the Travel Agent`s Union (Kitsab), said: “Our agencies have made their agreements with other airlines and hotels for the summer season. We would have wanted the airline to be up and running by now.
“The more tourists that come the better.”
Mehmet Dolmaci, president of the Cyprus Turkish Hoteliers` Union (Kitob), added: “ We really wanted the airline to start immediately because this would have drastically helped the economy and the tourism sector.
“All we can ask from the government is for them to allow more airlines to fly to the TRNC, since North Cyprus Airlines is not going to be in operation soon. Hotels will be affected because there will be fewer tourists coming.”
North Cyprus Airlines was due to have three of its own aircraft, with two more being supplied by Turkish Airlines, for flights to Turkey and London Stansted. It was due to be the first public-private partnership in North Cyprus and replace Cyprus Turkish Airlines, which was banned from flying last June because of a failure to pay its debts.
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Tags: AnadoluJetFlights from Ercan, civil aviation department in north cyprus, Cyprus Turkish Hoteliers Union (Kitob), Cyprus Turkish Travel Agents Union (Kitsab), Flights to Turkey and London Stansted-North Cyprus, North Cyprus Airlines, Northern Cyprus economy and the tourism sector, Northern Cyprus Tourists Coming, Tourists coming in Northern Cyprus, TRNC Government, Turkish Airlines