Fethiye Times pick of the news from the local area and around Turkey.
NEWS
Switch to the new Istanbul airport is the biggest move in aviation industry
Turkish Airlines has launched its first flights from the new Istanbul Airport. The flights mark the start of a transition of flights from the old Atatürk Airport. The services have commenced following one of the most complex moving operations in aviation history.
Turkish Airlines had a 45-hour window to switch its entire operation to the new Istanbul airport from its existing hub at Atatürk international airport, which served as the main hub for Turkish Airlines for over 86 years.
The flag carrier commenced the move to the new Istanbul Airport on April 5 at 03:00 AM local time. The operation concluded on April 6 at 23:59 AM local time. A total of 10,000 pieces of equipment, from planes to huge aircraft-towing vehicles to fragile security sensors, were moved 30km from Atatürk to the new location of the airport.
Atatürk Airport and Istanbul Airport were closed for all scheduled passenger flights between 02:00 and 14:00 of April 6 as part of this major transition.
While already in full operation, the new Istanbul Airport will remain in construction until at least 2025. Once fully completed the airport will have 6 runways, 16 taxiways. The new airport terminals will have a total of 1,500,000 m2 (16,000,000 sq ft) of indoor area, 165 aircraft jet bridges, 4 terminal buildings with interconnecting rail access, 3 technical blocks, 1 air traffic control tower, and 8 ramp control towers. The airport will also have a 6,500,000 m2 (70,000,000 sq ft) apron with 500 aircraft parking capacity, VIP lounges, cargo and general aviation terminals.
The last passenger flight to depart Atatürk was Turkish Airlines flight 54 to Singapore. The last flight marked a memorable and historic moment in Turkish Airlines history.
The old airport, located on a prime piece of real estate, has been earmarked for a “people’s garden” and luxury retail and housing developments.
Source: Simple Flying
FCO contact details update
The previous email address for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Travel Advice public enquiries (Traveladvicepublicenquiries@fco.gov.uk) is no longer in use. Any emails sent to this address will no longer be received by the FCO.
The FCO have instead developed a web form to enable members of the public to submit enquiries about FCO travel advice. The web form is available under ‘Travel Advice’ in the contacts list on the FCO’s main landing page on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/fco.
Alternatively, the form can be accessed via the ‘Travel Advice Help and Support’ section of each country travel advice page.
Source: FCO
Suspects in Istanbul building collapse face up to 15 years in prison
Three suspects, including the project manager of the Yeşilyurt Apartment building that collapsed in Istanbul in February, killing 21 people, have been charged with causing death by neglect.
Prosecutors wrapped up an indictment against project manager Suzan Çayır, technical officer Uğur Mısırlıoğlu and safety inspector Arzu Keleş Baran on the deadly collapse tied to unsafe construction of the building. Each face prison terms ranging from two years to 15 years over the deaths and injuries of 14 others.
The indictment will now be assessed by a court and if accepted, a court date will be set for suspects.
The residential building at the Kartal district on Istanbul’s Asian side collapsed suddenly on Feb. 6 and initial findings pointed to the use of low-grade material in the construction of the building in the early 1990s. Officials have also disclosed that more floors were added illegally to the building, which might have played a role in the collapse. Four suspects were initially detained but only Çayır and Mısırlıoğlu remain in custody while the others were released pending trial. A construction engineer in the same investigation was released earlier.
Media reports noted that some of the load-bearing columns at the bottom of the building had been removed, which is believed to be one of the reasons for its collapse. Another building next to the collapsed one, which was evacuated shortly after the incident, was demolished as an investigation revealed it might also collapse.
Authorities examined other buildings in the area and across the city following the incident against the risk of collapse.
Source: Daily Sabah
Turkish Airlines launches Antalya-London direct flights
National flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) has launched daily direct flights between London’s Gatwick Airport and Turkey’s Mediterranean resort city of Antalya.
The first flight took place on Sunday 31 March and was celebrated with a draw awarding free round-trip tickets to two passengers.
Daily direct flights will continue until 26 October.
In January, Turkish Airlines launched direct flights between the capital Ankara and London.
THY currently offers direct flights from Turkey to five airports in the United Kingdom; Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.
Founded in 1933, Turkish Airlines flies to more than 300 destinations in over 120 countries – 49 domestic and 257 international.
Source: Daily Sabah
Authorities removing ‘ghost’ ships in Turkish waters
Turkish authorities are removing abandoned ships as experts have warned they pose a threat to the environment and a public health risk as they leak harmful substances into the water.
In 2018, there were 114 ships, dubbed ‘ghost ships’, left to their fate in the Marmara, Aegean and Black Seas.
A 2017 amendment to the Harbour’s Law, proposed ‘ghost ships’ could be sold or scrapped.
As a result, 12 of the total 114 abandoned ships were sold, 44 were repaired and 24 were dismantled for scrap.
Two other ships are currently being dismantled by authorities off the coast of Istanbul.
Source: Hürriyet Daily News
SPORT
Thank you to Brian Lloyd for the sport updates.
Fethiyespor
Fethiyespor lost their home match against Kirklarelispor on Wednesday. The final score was 0-2.
Fethiyespor drew their away match against Bugsaş Spor yesterday. The final score was 1-1.
Fethiyespor move down to 15th position on the league table, one place above the relegation zone.
The next league matches are:
Saturday 13th April at home against Etimesgut Belediyespor. Kick off is at 15:00.
Sunday 21st April away against Manısa Büyükşehir Belediyespor. Kick off is at 15:30.
For more information about Fethiyespor please visit Fethiyespor Yabancilar on Facebook.
Turkish Lira (TL) exchange rates
The British Pound bought 7.33 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 7.28 TL.
The US Dollar bought 5.62 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 5.58 TL.
The Euro bought 6.31 TL by the close of business on Friday. The week before it was selling for 6.27 TL.
ISource: FxexchangeRate.com
Weather Forecast
Here’s your weather forecast for the week ahead.
Source: Living Earth
The post Fethiye Times News – Week Ending 6 April 2019 appeared first on Fethiye Times.