The Minister of Public Works and Transportation Erhan Arıklı has said that the new Ercan Airport terminal could open straight after the Bayram Holiday according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s programme.

Arıklı told BRT that the inauguration of the new terminal and runway will not be “symbolic” and that the facilities will come into operation.

The opening of the airport’s new terminal and runway which are completed has been hit by a series of delays and postponements over the past few months.

Speaking on BRT on Tuesday, the Minister of Public Works and Transportation Erhan Arıklı welcomed the launch of Fly Kıbrıs, stating that ticket prices had already started to go down with the new airline.

“Three young entrepreneurs set out to achieve a goal and they succeeded. A meaningless debate raged on a long time whether this was a domestic or a national airline. We needed to lower ticket prices through competition and that’s what we did. Ticket prices are now balanced. The other two airlines operating flights to the TRNC have been forced to add more flights to the island,” he said.

Responding to criticisms, Arıklı said that they will continue to work for the welfare of the country.

Concerning the opening of the new Ercan terminal and runway, the public works and transportation minister said that another setback had been experienced due to the strike staged by the Electricity Authority Workers Union (EL-SEN).

“We are aware that we might have experienced technical difficulties due to the strike and we didn’t want to risk anyone’s life. That’s why we had postponed the opening of the new terminal to after the Bayram holiday,” he added.

Arıklı said that a new date will be scheduled to suit Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s new programme.

“Contrary to expectations, this inauguration or opening will not be a ‘symbolic’ one and the facilities will become operational,” he said.