The north’s ‘transport minister’ Erhan Arikli on Monday called for the north’s Ercan (Tymbou) airport to be treated as a Turkish airport, suggesting that the move may allow for cheaper air fares between the north and Turkey, and for the north to open up to international flights.

“The worst-case scenario is just like how we provide international mail and communication with the ‘Mersin 10 Turkey’ postcode,” he told Kibris TV, referring to how all post to the north is addressed to Mersin.

He added, “the worst-case scenario is that Ercan airport Antalya B or Ercan airport Cukurova B can be promoted as a secondary airport of Turkey, and we think that we can open Ercan airport to international flights under the control and the guarantee of [Turkey’s state airports authority (DHMI)]”.

Antalya and Cukurova are the two closest Turkish international airports to Cyprus.

This, he said, would allow for price controls to be implemented on flights between Ercan (Tymbou) and Turkey, just as they are for Turkish domestic routes.

Such a move would also allow for flights between Turkey and Ercan (Tymbou) to be subject to lower taxes than they are at present, given that the Turkish government taxes international flights at a much higher rate than domestic flights.

However, while prices may fall should Ercan (Tymbou) be recategorised as a domestic airport in Turkey, other practicalities may be less appealing to many Turkish Cypriots.

Opposition party CTP ‘MP’ Dogus Derya had pointed out when the idea was first floated in 2022 that the airport being treated as a domestic airport in Turkey could mean no border control checks at Ercan (Tymbou) for passengers arriving from Turkey.

Alternatively, an arrangement to have Ercan (Tymbou) treated as a domestic airport in Turkey could see it treated similarly to how Dublin and Shannon airports in Ireland are by the United States.

There, passengers pass through US customs before boarding their flights from Ireland, thus effectively making their flight domestic. They then arrive as domestic passengers in the US.

Such an arrangement would therefore involve the stationing of Turkish border guards and customs officials in Cyprus, which would likely prove controversial.

It also remains unproven whether a technical reclassification of the airport’s status would persuade overseas airports and airlines to launch routes to and from it.