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Turkey to Resume Flights: Here's what you should know

The Coronavirus pandemic brought to a halt all the business and personal travel. After a haunting global lockdown, the world is now gradually coming back to its earlier form. Turkey, one of the evergreen global destinations for tourism and commerce, has recommenced its domestic and international travel services after a two-month lockdown, amidst extreme care and regulations. 
Turkey's airlines are now running with strict hygiene measures that are focused on ensuring the safe departure and arrival of the public.  In an announcement, while resuming the international flights, The Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Turkey, mentioned that the flight operations are starting with four countries – Russia, India, Kuwait, and South Africa. 


International and domestic flights in Turkey
The country is currently providing the airline facilities to 204 global destinations through both its domestic and international flights. 
For those tickets booked and pre-booked during and post lockdown, i.e., from March 2020 to December 2020, the Turkish airlines allow the customers to reschedule as per their convenience. 

Regulations for International Travelers 

Turkey International travel authorities have set major guidelines for safe travel at all stages of air travel.

Check-in

Mandatory online check-in; minimal check-in baggage comprising only essentials and hygiene kits. Masks are obligatory, and most services are no-contact.

Arrival at the airport

Passengers should arrive 3 hours before the departure time to complete all the travel-related procedures.
Passengers must wear masks without any exceptions. Social distancing norms must be followed.
Protective panes are arranged between staff counters and passengers to ensure the health safety for both parties.
No contact self-check-in and automated baggage check-in facilities are provided.

Boarding

Travelers must comply with the safety measures that the airlines are suggesting. They are provided with safety equipment kits to avoid the risk of infection.
Entry into the flight is done in groups, allowing a set of passengers at a time. 
All the passengers must wear masks during boarding, and they have to carry their own disposal bags to dispose of the used mask after 4 hours.

Onboard

Turkey flights are being cleaned and sanitized by special teams at preset time intervals as per HEPA norms. 
Hygiene experts are available onboard.

Disembarking

The disembarking process occurs in an organized method of cabin wise shifting of people in groups of 10 people with a certain distance, and also controlled baggage claim is assured.

Istanbul Airport Back in Action
Turkey's airlines are taking all preventive measures, and best of state hospitality ensure a safe and comfortable journey for their travelers.  Istanbul travel for foreigners via the world's one of the largest airports - Istanbul airport, is now free from the fret. That said, Istanbul airport is now full-back in action.
The airport, which is the largest one in the nation, has always drawn millions of travelers every year for their Turkey holiday. By the end of 2019, the passenger footprint for this airport was as much as 52,578,008. 
Istanbul domestic travel is also back to normal with just the right precautions. Passengers can now travel from Istanbul airport to the local states conveniently. 
As per the authorities, Turkey will also soon resume flights to and from Iraq, Uzbekistan, Kenya, Egypt, Tunisia, Kyrgyzstan, and Algeria. The country is also planning to spike its number of flights to other countries very soon.
The COVID cases in Turkey as of Oct 2020 were around 34M. The country is one of the countries with the highest recovery rate and has recorded 280K recoveries and 8000+ deaths so far. 

Global airlines travel scenario

Other countries like Iran, India, Saudi, USA, Pakistan, Afghanistan are also in the process of resuming the traveling facilities – both domestic and international.

India

Though India has resumed its domestic flights, international flights are still on hold. Strict measures are in place in terms of sanitization and mask-wearing for all the domestic passengers. The government made it mandatory for every passenger to have the Aarogya Setu app that is designed to alert about the risk of infection.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi has stopped international flights for some period and is now operating with certain restrictions. All passengers must provide the latest negative Polymerase Chain Reaction test. 
International travelers are required to fill out a health disclaimer form. A 2 day quarantine period is a must in special cases. The Polymerase Chain Reaction tests are done again at the end of the incubation period. Passengers must download the local application on their mobile phones and keep the government updated about their health via the apps. 

The USA

The United States of America has also put a halt to international airline services with an allowance of only limited flights. Wearing a mask and continuously washing hands are the two most important guidelines. People should ensure a six feet gap between themselves. 

Pakistan

Pakistan has also resumed international flights with safety guidelines and precautions. Travelers traveling from category-A countries need not carry a PCR test report. 
However, other passengers are required to bring an RT- PCR test report done not beyond 96 hours from travel time. Signing the International Passenger Health Declaration form is mandatory. Informing the government through the specified apps on their mobile phones, if any symptoms are detected, is also a must. 
Most of the other countries are also in the process of making the possibilities of flying internationally to resume their international activities. 
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Published on 2020-10-04
Updated on 2020-11-01