Due to a surprise attempted coup conducted by a faction of the military in Turkey last night; and as per a notice to airmen which was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States yesterday, all airline carriers — regardless of country of registry — are prohibited from flying between the United States and Turkey either directly or via a third country.

Airlines Prohibited From Flying Between Turkey and the United States

Here is the official announcement in its entirety from the Embassy of the United States in Ankara, Turkey:

U.S. Embassy Ankara informs U.S. citizens that routes to Istanbul’s Ataturk airport are open; however, we are still hearing reports of sporadic gunfire. Security at Ataturk airport is significantly diminished and U.S. government employees have been instructed not to attempt to travel to and from Ataturk airport.

Per the Federal Aviation Administration’s notice to airmen (NOTAM) dated July 15, 2016, U.S. airline carriers are prohibited from flying to or from Istanbul and Ankara airports.  All airline carriers, regardless of country of registry, are prohibited from flying into the United States from Turkey either directly or via third country.

U.S. citizens are advised to seek shelter in safe places. Avoid unnecessary travel. Monitor media reports. The Mission will share further information as it becomes available.

We encourage you to closely monitor our Turkey Crisis Page for additional information.

• To provide us with information about an injured or missing U.S. citizen who is in Turkey, you may:
  • Visit Task Force Alert and select “2016 Turkey Unrest”
  • Contact the Department of State at [email protected]‎.
  • Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries.

For further detailed information regarding Turkey and travel:

• See the State Department’s travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Turkey’s Country Specific Information.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Contact the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, located at 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara, at +90-312-455-5555, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +90-312-455-5555 or +90-212-335-9000 (U.S. Consulate General Istanbul).
• Contact the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul, located at 2 Uçsehitler Sokagi, 34460, Istinye, Sariyer, at +90-212-335-9000.
• Contact the U.S. Consulate in Adana, located at 212 Girne Bulvari, Guzelevler Mahallesi, Yuregir, Adana at +90-322-455-4100.
• Contact the Consular Agency in Izmir at [email protected].
• Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
• Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Statement From Turkish Airlines

Meanwhile — upon a declaration that operations have returned to normal and flights have been resuming safely — the following statement was posted by Turkish Airlines at its official Twitter account:

Announcement from Turkish Airlines to our Valued Passengers and Dear Nation,

With the unflinching will of the people, Turkey has awakened to a new day with a much stronger sense of democracy and freedom.

Upon the call of our President H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan our operations at İstanbul Atatürk Airport are now back to normal and flights have begun.

As of the 16th of July by 14:30 (EEST) all our flight operations will resume as planned. Grateful to our Dear Nation, we extend our thanks to our passengers for their understanding for the inconvenience.

Detailed information regarding booking, delayed/canceled flights and current flight schedule is available on our website: www.turkisharilines.com

To the attention of our passengers: https://t.co/kGo57cGeSn pic.twitter.com/dvwYM22yID

— Turkish Airlines (@TurkishAirlines) July 16, 2016

Transit passengers will be able to cancel and reschedule their flights at counters to be set up in hotels, to which representatives of Turkish Airlines will refer to avoid any inconvenience.

Summary

The justification of the advisory issued by the Federal Aviation Administration will supposedly be re-evaluated by Monday, August 15, 2016. The exact date of when the prohibition will be lifted is unknown at this time.

If your travel plans include Turkey within the next month, you might consider postponing them, if possible. The airline on which you intend to travel should permit you to alter your plans without penalty.

In the meantime, be sure to keep yourself updated by monitoring for new developments.

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