Erdogan expected in the north to open new airport terminal

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit the north on Thursday to partake in celebrations linked to Turkey’s 1974 invasion, and to officially open the new Ercan (Tymbou) airport terminal.

The trip represents the fourth and final stage of Erdogan’s tour of the Middle East, with him having already visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates this week.

After landing at the new airport, Erdogan is expected to attend a ceremony at Nicosia’s Ataturk monument in the north at around 5:45pm and make a speech at another ceremony at around 6pm.

Erdogan will also meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar while in Cyprus, with the pair expected to discuss regional geopolitical issues and the ongoing court case regarding the Cypriot children who died when the Isias hotel in the Turkish city of Adiyaman collapsed following February’s earthquakes.

Turkish transport minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu has also travelled to the north to witness the opening of the new Ercan (Tymbou) airport terminal.

Erdogan’s flight is set to form a part of the terminal’s official opening. Afterwards, the last flight into the old terminal is due to land at 6:45pm from Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen airport, before the first flight out of the new terminal is due to take off tomorrow morning at 7:40 for Adana.