US embassy cable - 05ISTANBUL1879

UNCLAS ISTANBUL 001879 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SE, NEA/I AND EB/TRA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, EAIR, TU, IZ, Istanbul 
SUBJECT: ISTANBUL-ERBIL FLIGHTS RECEIVE MFA CLEARANCE 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for internet distribution. 
This message was coordinated with Embassy Ankara. 
 
1. (SBU) Business contacts here indicate that plans are 
moving forward for direct air links between Istanbul and 
Erbil in Northern Iraq.  Longtime CG Istanbul contact Berna 
Turkili informed us on October 26 that she had received 
"political approval" for such flights from the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs.  The positive response came following an 
application by the proposed operator FLY AIR to Turkey's 
Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA).  Turkili 
indicated that she arranged a meeting between FLY AIR and 
Saman Barzani, owner of ZAGROS AIR, in Istanbul on October 
25, and that they had signed a protocol for beginning flights. 
 
2. (SBU) According to Turkili, there is now a "tight 
schedule" for informing U.S. authorities in Iraq about the 
plan, making formal application to the Iraqi Civil Aviation 
Aughority (ICAA) for its approval, and finalizing Turkish 
approval.  Turkili indicated that she will soon travel to 
Ankara at the request of the Ministries of Interior and 
External Affairs to move the process forward.  She stressed 
the need for speed, given "some lobbies in Turkey who don't 
want to open the Istanbul-Erbil flights." 
 
3. (SBU) Separately, DGCA Security Branch Director Erdal 
Ulgur confirmed to the Embassy in Ankara that DGCA had 
received an application for the flight from FLY AIR and that 
it had received a positive opinion from MFA.  He said that 
the application is being processed and the next step is the 
release of a flight permit to the company.  He did not see 
any obstacles, unless there is "political interference" to 
the process. 
JONES