Turkish Airlines and AJet sign deal to improve air links to Northern Cyprus   

Inbound tourism to Northern Cyprus will be given a boost after the authorities in the Turkish-controlled section of the Mediterranean island signed a new deal with Turkish Airlines and its budget subsidiary, AJet (formerly known as Anadolu Jet). The deal, penned on July 7, 2025, will see the parties collaborate to improve air links to the Turkish part of the island, with fare caps on key routes and frequency increases serving the province’s main airport of Ercan International Airport (ECN).

The signing ceremony marking the new protocol was held at the presidency in the capital of Northern Cyprus, Lefkosa, and was attended by the Turkish Cyprus Prime Minister Unal Ustel as well as Turkish Airlines board members and the chairman of the Executive Committee, Ahmet Bolat. Bolat described Monday as a “historic day” and one that will make the north’s tourism product more competitive. Meanwhile, Ustel described the agreement as an “important step”.

Under the terms of the new protocol, which has the aim of facilitating air transportation to Northern Cyprus by making it cheaper, AJet will schedule and commence a new program of shuttle flights from Ercan Airport to major cities in Turkey, allowing simplified onward connections to other European cities served by the airline. Ultimately, the hope is that the deal will lower ticket prices on these routes and give inbound tourism to the north of Cyprus a boost.

MarcelX42 / Wikimedia CommonsUnder the protocol, the ceiling of ticket prices of flights between cities in Turkey and Northern Cyprus will be set at 6,000 Turkish liras ($150). As reported by the Cyprus Mail, at a forthcoming event to be held in London later in July, the round-trip ticket price for flights between London-Stansted Airport (STN) and Ercan airports will be set at €250 ($293).

At present, flights from Ercan Airport only serve flights to mainland Turkey. In the past, direct flights between the UK and Northern Cyprus operated, although as part of an agreement between the UK and Turkish Governments, such flights were required to land in mainland Turkey first before continuing their journey to Northern Cyprus. However, the requirement to do so was torn up by the countries in 2017 following a stabilization of the Turkish government and an improvement in the security situation in Northern Cyprus and in Turkey.

Direct UK flights

As part of the plan to improve connectivity to the Turkish side of the island, it is understood that AJet will seek to reintroduce direct links between the UK and Northern Cyprus as soon as possible. At the unveiling of the announcement, both Tatar and Ustel expressed hope that in the future, direct flights to the north may become a possibility.

Backing the restart of direct air services from the UK, a bill has been filed in the UK parliament supporting the concept. The bill states that the UK parliament “calls on the government to allow direct flights from the United Kingdom to Ercan International Airport in Northern Cyprus”. It adds that it “notes the ongoing hardship caused by current travel restrictions to over 300,000 Turkish Cypriots living in the UK and thousands of British nationals in Northern Cyprus”, and that “Ercan Airport meets international aviation security standards”.

Michael Derrer Fuchs / ShutterstockFacilitating direct flights between the UK and the north would “promote fairness, ease family travel, and strengthen the UK’s strategic presence in the region”, the bill adds.

An additional element of the deal signed between the Northern Cyprus authorities and AJet representatives will see a total of 60 young Turkish Cypriots hired as cabin crew by AJet, with two AJet aircraft also wearing a special decal on their nose section bearing the message ‘Ada Kibris‘ (or ‘Island of Cyprus’ in Turkish), both seen as additional measures to promote tourism to the north of the island.

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