Clearday-TRForce
05-20-2005, 10:31 AM
Politics on the Air: Netherlands Bans Turkish Private Air Company
Turkish airline Onur Air on Thursday was banned from flying in or out of both Germany and the Netherlands. Onur Air and Turkish official says the decision is not fair. Economists argue that the ban is not a technical decion but political one.
Turkish expert Yesime Sahiner says “the rapid growth of Turkish private aviation companies have frightened the EU countries, like Netherlands, Germany and France. Turkish companies are more competitive, and the EU companies cannot compete with them. So, the governments try to prevent Turks”.
The Dutch Transportation Ministry was the first to restrict the airline, imposing a one-month ban, citing repeated safety lapses. However there is no serious problem with the Onur Air’s airplanes British, Italian and Denmark authorities confirmed.
The Dutch ban threatened to strand thousands of travelers, but an Onur Air official in Istanbul said both of Thursday's scheduled flights were allowed to leave and no one was stuck at the airport.
Germany followed Netherlands in banning Onur Air.
Private Turkish airline Onur Air CEO Cankut Bangana stated that his firm is a secure company that is constantly monitored by the Turkish civil aviation system, following flight bans imposed on the airline by Dutch and German authorities who cited safety concerns, TDN reported.
Sahiner says “the air companies in Germany, Netherlands, France and Switzerland are in crises. They try to prevent any competitive company, including the Turkish air companies.”
JTW with news agencies
'There are Commercial Concerns Behind the Ban'
Onur Air Banned in Two Other Countries
The flight banplaced by the Netherlands on Onur Airlines (Onur Air) over 'a technical failure' spread to France and Switzerland after Germany.
Thanks to the diplomatic efforts by the Turkish Foreign and Transportation Ministries, Germany and France announced that they are allowing Onur Air planes to use only their air space.
While there are some concerns about the spread of the ban to other countries, it was explained that the company would cancel nearly 200 of its flights in a week.
The aviation experts in the Netherlands underline that there is a long lasting disturbance in the country due to the Turkish companies, which control 70 percent of the package tour market.
Explaining that they have 50 percent of the package tour market in the Netherlands and 25 percent in Germany, Onur Airlines Chairman Cankut Bagana said:
" Everyone knows the crises that the aviation sector is undergoing in the Netherlands. There is no reason to stop the flights. For 14 years, we have received many awards for the excellence of our planes and for the efficiency of our maintenance. There may be commercial concerns behind this case."
Due to 'a technical failure' in one of the planes belonging to Onur Airlines, the Netherlands Civil Aviation Organization made an inspection under the aegis of the Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft Programme (SAFA).
The flight ban, resulting from an inspection report by the organization, brought on May 12, prompted the other countries to take similar action.
Germany's similar action two hours after the Netherlands' decision gained a new dimension when France and Switzerland also grounded Onur Air yesterday.
Britain and Belgium have found no technical or legal problem with the Onur Air planes. The company plans to sue the Netherlands and other countries for its loses
Dutch, Turkish air authorities meet over issues that led to banning of Turkish Onur Air
Dutch and Turkish air safety inspectors opened talks Monday on alleged lapses that prompted the Netherlands and two other European countries to ban the Turkish charter airline Onur Air from their airports.
Germany and Switzerland were not directly involved in the talks, Dutch officials said, although both countries followed the Netherlands last week in denying the small Turkish airline from taking off or landing.
Last week the Dutch announced they were suspending Onur Air's flights until it "carried out structural improvements to guarantee safety."
Onur Air called the ban unfair, and said the technical problem discovered in one of its aircraft in Amsterdam last week did not warrant the Dutch response.
But the Dutch authorities indicated that Onur Air was guilty of recurring safety problems. Before the latest technical hitch was discovered on an Airbus 300 destined for Antalya, Turkey, the airline had been "given a last warning," according to a statement last week by the Dutch Traffic and Waterways Ministry.
The Turkish Transport Ministry responded that the airline was working on the problem, and there was no reason its aircraft shouldn't fly to its European destinations.
Onur Air is primarily a budget domestic airline in Turkey, but is chartered to carry some of the millions of Europeans who fly to Turkey for vacations during the summer.
The New Anatolian with AP / Amsterdam
'Onur Air', Issue of Turkish Civil Aviation's Honor
Onur Air's struggle to lift the flight ban by Germany, France, The Netherlands, and Sweden, on the pretense of technical faults, continues.
After Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's discussion on the issue with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder on May 17, the officials of the Ministry of Transportation contacted a Dutch technical committee on May 18. Turkish Minister of Transport Binali Yildirim told Zaman to explain their attitude at the ministry as that the crisis became an issue of honor rather than an issue of Onur Air (Onur means honor in Turkish).
On the other hand, at the 3-hour meeting with the Dutch on May 17, and continuing to May 18 as well, it is learned that the Dutch suspended Onur Air flights because a maintenance document was incomplete. Therefore, Onur Air officials did not record the repair and maintenance reports, and the Dutch officials imposed a ban on all Onur flights. Noting that it is a heavy decision to attribute the inadequacy of one plane to the entire fleet, Transportation Ministry officials said: "The important point here is whether the air-line company has provided the maintenance of the plane or not? As it is seen, it has. But, the technician has not recorded this. The Dutch try to trap us by bringing up why the maintenance reports have not been handed in to them. The problem is here."
Stating that the addressees of the issue are the Turkish Ministry of Transport and the Turkish Civil Aviation General Directorship, Onur Air Administrative Board deputy president Sahabettin Bolukcu said: "At the meetings, the Dutch softened. We expect them to grant flight permission on Monday, May 23.
regards.
Turkish airline Onur Air on Thursday was banned from flying in or out of both Germany and the Netherlands. Onur Air and Turkish official says the decision is not fair. Economists argue that the ban is not a technical decion but political one.
Turkish expert Yesime Sahiner says “the rapid growth of Turkish private aviation companies have frightened the EU countries, like Netherlands, Germany and France. Turkish companies are more competitive, and the EU companies cannot compete with them. So, the governments try to prevent Turks”.
The Dutch Transportation Ministry was the first to restrict the airline, imposing a one-month ban, citing repeated safety lapses. However there is no serious problem with the Onur Air’s airplanes British, Italian and Denmark authorities confirmed.
The Dutch ban threatened to strand thousands of travelers, but an Onur Air official in Istanbul said both of Thursday's scheduled flights were allowed to leave and no one was stuck at the airport.
Germany followed Netherlands in banning Onur Air.
Private Turkish airline Onur Air CEO Cankut Bangana stated that his firm is a secure company that is constantly monitored by the Turkish civil aviation system, following flight bans imposed on the airline by Dutch and German authorities who cited safety concerns, TDN reported.
Sahiner says “the air companies in Germany, Netherlands, France and Switzerland are in crises. They try to prevent any competitive company, including the Turkish air companies.”
JTW with news agencies
'There are Commercial Concerns Behind the Ban'
Onur Air Banned in Two Other Countries
The flight banplaced by the Netherlands on Onur Airlines (Onur Air) over 'a technical failure' spread to France and Switzerland after Germany.
Thanks to the diplomatic efforts by the Turkish Foreign and Transportation Ministries, Germany and France announced that they are allowing Onur Air planes to use only their air space.
While there are some concerns about the spread of the ban to other countries, it was explained that the company would cancel nearly 200 of its flights in a week.
The aviation experts in the Netherlands underline that there is a long lasting disturbance in the country due to the Turkish companies, which control 70 percent of the package tour market.
Explaining that they have 50 percent of the package tour market in the Netherlands and 25 percent in Germany, Onur Airlines Chairman Cankut Bagana said:
" Everyone knows the crises that the aviation sector is undergoing in the Netherlands. There is no reason to stop the flights. For 14 years, we have received many awards for the excellence of our planes and for the efficiency of our maintenance. There may be commercial concerns behind this case."
Due to 'a technical failure' in one of the planes belonging to Onur Airlines, the Netherlands Civil Aviation Organization made an inspection under the aegis of the Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft Programme (SAFA).
The flight ban, resulting from an inspection report by the organization, brought on May 12, prompted the other countries to take similar action.
Germany's similar action two hours after the Netherlands' decision gained a new dimension when France and Switzerland also grounded Onur Air yesterday.
Britain and Belgium have found no technical or legal problem with the Onur Air planes. The company plans to sue the Netherlands and other countries for its loses
Dutch, Turkish air authorities meet over issues that led to banning of Turkish Onur Air
Dutch and Turkish air safety inspectors opened talks Monday on alleged lapses that prompted the Netherlands and two other European countries to ban the Turkish charter airline Onur Air from their airports.
Germany and Switzerland were not directly involved in the talks, Dutch officials said, although both countries followed the Netherlands last week in denying the small Turkish airline from taking off or landing.
Last week the Dutch announced they were suspending Onur Air's flights until it "carried out structural improvements to guarantee safety."
Onur Air called the ban unfair, and said the technical problem discovered in one of its aircraft in Amsterdam last week did not warrant the Dutch response.
But the Dutch authorities indicated that Onur Air was guilty of recurring safety problems. Before the latest technical hitch was discovered on an Airbus 300 destined for Antalya, Turkey, the airline had been "given a last warning," according to a statement last week by the Dutch Traffic and Waterways Ministry.
The Turkish Transport Ministry responded that the airline was working on the problem, and there was no reason its aircraft shouldn't fly to its European destinations.
Onur Air is primarily a budget domestic airline in Turkey, but is chartered to carry some of the millions of Europeans who fly to Turkey for vacations during the summer.
The New Anatolian with AP / Amsterdam
'Onur Air', Issue of Turkish Civil Aviation's Honor
Onur Air's struggle to lift the flight ban by Germany, France, The Netherlands, and Sweden, on the pretense of technical faults, continues.
After Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's discussion on the issue with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder on May 17, the officials of the Ministry of Transportation contacted a Dutch technical committee on May 18. Turkish Minister of Transport Binali Yildirim told Zaman to explain their attitude at the ministry as that the crisis became an issue of honor rather than an issue of Onur Air (Onur means honor in Turkish).
On the other hand, at the 3-hour meeting with the Dutch on May 17, and continuing to May 18 as well, it is learned that the Dutch suspended Onur Air flights because a maintenance document was incomplete. Therefore, Onur Air officials did not record the repair and maintenance reports, and the Dutch officials imposed a ban on all Onur flights. Noting that it is a heavy decision to attribute the inadequacy of one plane to the entire fleet, Transportation Ministry officials said: "The important point here is whether the air-line company has provided the maintenance of the plane or not? As it is seen, it has. But, the technician has not recorded this. The Dutch try to trap us by bringing up why the maintenance reports have not been handed in to them. The problem is here."
Stating that the addressees of the issue are the Turkish Ministry of Transport and the Turkish Civil Aviation General Directorship, Onur Air Administrative Board deputy president Sahabettin Bolukcu said: "At the meetings, the Dutch softened. We expect them to grant flight permission on Monday, May 23.
regards.