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VAN TO YEREVAN FLIGHTS SET TO BYPASS BLOCKED BORDERS
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
March 23 2013
Private Borajet company readies to start direct flights from Turkey's
Van city to Armenian capital Yerevan, opening the first of a kind
route between eastern Turkey and Armenia due to closed borders
Direct flights from the Turkish city of Van to the Armenian capital
Yerevan will start to operate on April 3, despite closed borders,
marking the first of a kind for Turkey's eastern cities.
The flights, approved by both Turkish and Armenian authorities, will
be hosted by the private Borajet company. Passengers will be boarded
on planes that can hold up to 67 passengers and the journey will take
about 45 minutes. Tickets will cost around $200.
"This is a private flight and the authority that gives permission for
this flight is the Directorate General of Civil Aviation," Turkish
Foreign Ministry officials said, declining any further comment.
Azerbaijani Parliament speaker Ziyafat Asgarov said it was necessary
to examine the issue more thoroughly before commenting.
"One must take into account that Turkey is protecting Azerbaijan's
fair interests and has not opened its border with Armenia up to now,"
he was quoted as saying by AzerNews website.
"Turkey is not going to open the border with Armenia in the future. As
far as I know, this flight will be made by a private airline. In
any case, we have the right to know why this has happened. I think
statements will probably be made in connection with this issue
[by Turkey]."
Van Trade Association head Ayhan Fidan told the Hurriyet Daily
News that they expected a high demand for the planned flights. "As
businessmen in Van we want to trade with Armenia, and the main cause
behind these flights is trade," Fidan said. "However we do not see
the same excitement from the other side yet."
Cultural interaction
Cultural interaction will also benefit from the flights, he added.
"When the [Ahtamar] church on our island was opened, Van became an
appealing touristic destination. Armenia and its diaspora have shown
real interest in such cultural tourism," he said. Fidan also said Iran
was initially part of the route, but that the destination was removed
by Iranian authorities in March. Flights to Armenia had previously
taken off from Istanbul, Antalya and Bodrum, but the new route will
not create negative competition, according to the owner of Borajet.
"I don't think these flights will last very long. They will mostly
be used by tourists. Perhaps in the summer there may be an interest
coming from the diaspora too," said Dikran Altun, the owner of Towertur
which already operates flights between Istanbul and Yerevan.
In addition to air travel, bus rides from Istanbul to Yerevan are
operated every week.
March/22/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/van-to-yerevan-flights-set-to-bypass-blocked-borders.aspx?pageID=238&nID=43468&NewsCatID=341
From: Baghdasarian
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
March 23 2013
Private Borajet company readies to start direct flights from Turkey's
Van city to Armenian capital Yerevan, opening the first of a kind
route between eastern Turkey and Armenia due to closed borders
Direct flights from the Turkish city of Van to the Armenian capital
Yerevan will start to operate on April 3, despite closed borders,
marking the first of a kind for Turkey's eastern cities.
The flights, approved by both Turkish and Armenian authorities, will
be hosted by the private Borajet company. Passengers will be boarded
on planes that can hold up to 67 passengers and the journey will take
about 45 minutes. Tickets will cost around $200.
"This is a private flight and the authority that gives permission for
this flight is the Directorate General of Civil Aviation," Turkish
Foreign Ministry officials said, declining any further comment.
Azerbaijani Parliament speaker Ziyafat Asgarov said it was necessary
to examine the issue more thoroughly before commenting.
"One must take into account that Turkey is protecting Azerbaijan's
fair interests and has not opened its border with Armenia up to now,"
he was quoted as saying by AzerNews website.
"Turkey is not going to open the border with Armenia in the future. As
far as I know, this flight will be made by a private airline. In
any case, we have the right to know why this has happened. I think
statements will probably be made in connection with this issue
[by Turkey]."
Van Trade Association head Ayhan Fidan told the Hurriyet Daily
News that they expected a high demand for the planned flights. "As
businessmen in Van we want to trade with Armenia, and the main cause
behind these flights is trade," Fidan said. "However we do not see
the same excitement from the other side yet."
Cultural interaction
Cultural interaction will also benefit from the flights, he added.
"When the [Ahtamar] church on our island was opened, Van became an
appealing touristic destination. Armenia and its diaspora have shown
real interest in such cultural tourism," he said. Fidan also said Iran
was initially part of the route, but that the destination was removed
by Iranian authorities in March. Flights to Armenia had previously
taken off from Istanbul, Antalya and Bodrum, but the new route will
not create negative competition, according to the owner of Borajet.
"I don't think these flights will last very long. They will mostly
be used by tourists. Perhaps in the summer there may be an interest
coming from the diaspora too," said Dikran Altun, the owner of Towertur
which already operates flights between Istanbul and Yerevan.
In addition to air travel, bus rides from Istanbul to Yerevan are
operated every week.
March/22/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/van-to-yerevan-flights-set-to-bypass-blocked-borders.aspx?pageID=238&nID=43468&NewsCatID=341
From: Baghdasarian