Ercan International: The Airport Only Open To Flights From Turkey

Situated in the contested territory of Northern Cyprus, Ercan International Airport (ECN) is a facility that you may not have come across. With Turkey being the only country to formally recognize this state, only flights from there using Turkish-registered aircraft can serve Ercan. Let’s take a closer look at the makeup of this airport and its complex situation.

A brief history of Ercan Airport

Ercan International Airport dates back to the Second World War. During this time, Cyprus was a British Crown Colony administered by the UK. The nature of the conflict prompted the British to construct a military airbase in the north of Cyprus, known as Tymvou Airport.

Cyprus became independent in 1960, but was the subject of a coup d’état in July 1974. Later that month, Turkish forces invaded the island, resulting in its partition. With the north of the island under Turkish control, it declared independence as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983. After this, the Turkish Army initially occupied the airport.

Eventually, the facility’s focus changed, with commercial air traffic playing an increasingly important role. Today, it serves as Northern Cyprus’s main commercial airport, and has a 2,755-meter-long asphalt-paved runway with the headings 11/29. However, the complex political situation regarding recognizing Northern Cyprus limits airline operations.

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Turkey-focused airline operations

The wider international community generally deems Turkey’s occupation of Northern Cyprus to be illegal under international law. According to Simple Flying reader Matthew I’Anson, this means that the airport doesn’t even appear on many pilots’ charts outside of Turkey.

Since 2006, only Turkish-registered aircraft have been able to use the airport. Similarly, Turkey is the only country that can be served directly by flights from Ercan International. As a result, flights from further afield have to stop in Turkey along the way.

For Pegasus Airlines’ and AnadoluJet’s services from London Stansted, this means a pause at Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW). Charters from elsewhere in Europe operated by the likes of Freebird and Onur Air tend to favor Antalya (AYT) for this enforced layover.

In 2017, T-Vine reported that security concerns from the UK meant that passengers on Ercan-Istanbul-London flights had to undergo secondary screening during their layover in Turkey. This prompted many travelers bound for Nicosia (the island’s capital) to fly to Larnaca instead. The indirect flights take around seven hours, compared to less than five for Larnaca.

Expansion plans

Despite the challenging circumstances under which it currently operates, Ercan Airport has interesting expansion plans lined up for the future. One of these involves the construction of a new 3,200-meter-long runway. Furthermore, the airport also wants to bring its existing landing strip up to this length. This will help it accommodate larger jets.

Additionally, Ercan International Airport also has ambitions to expand its terminal. Prior to COVID-19, it was processing around four million passengers a year through a terminal with just four gates. Now, Simple Flying reader Matthew I’Anson notes that a new facility is under construction, which will have eight gates fitted with jetbridges to serve widebodies.

Did you know about Ercan International Airport? Perhaps you’ve even flown to or from there via Turkey? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

Source: T-Vine

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