EVA Air (長榮航空) yesterday announced that it would suspend flights between Taipei and Istanbul, beginning on Monday next week.
The nation’s second-largest airline company said in a statement that the decision was made after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an “orange” travel alert for Turkey following a failed coup in Ankara last week.
An orange alert means that visitors should be highly cautious and avoid unnecessary travel to Turkey, the ministry said.
“After careful assessment, we have decided to suspend our flight service between Taipei and Istanbul, starting on July 25,” the airline said.
The airline added that its office in Turkey would continue to operate and that it would evaluate the situation to determine when the flights should resume.
It said that the service could return to its summer flight schedule next year.
The airline said that it would assist passengers who have booked tickets on Taipei-Istanbul flights to change their reservations, adding that they can still take EVA flights to other cities in Europe and transfer to Turkey.
Passengers can also take the airline’s code-share flights with Turkish Airlines to Turkey, EVA said in the statement.
The ministry said that Turkey has gradually returned to normal as the coup attempt is coming to an end.
Both Istanbul Ataturk Airport and Esenboga International Airport resumed operations on Saturday last week.
However, the ministry warned Taiwanese business travelers in Turkey to be vigilant about their safety amid rallies in 81 provinces in the country following calls from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to protect democracy.
Travelers are advised to avoid those rallies, the ministry said.
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