Boeing 737 MAX 8 jetliner being built for Turkish Airlines takes off on a test flight in Renton, Wash. (source: SITA/AP)
Turkish Airlines is suspending the air connection between Istanbul and Košice, a line that has operated four times a week for the past three years.
The suspension of the line to Košice is a result of the global air crisis caused by the grounded Boeings 737 MAX, the TASR newswire reported.
Lack of planes
Košice airport Executive Director Michael Tmej said the airport put a lot of effort into securing the airlines for Košice.
“Due to the lack of planes and problems with the rotation of the planes, Turkish Airlines moved their plane capacity from Košice to other lines operating for big European and global airports where the competition is stronger,” he told TASR.
It is still unclear when the Boeing 737 MAX will be able to fly again. Experts do not expect it to before the end of this year. The aircraft industry is a turbulent field and regional airports are the first to feel the risks, Tmej said, as quoted by TASR.
They will try to get the line back
“After this global situation is overcome, we will make every effort to get Turkish Airlines flights back to Košice,” he said, as quoted by TASR.
Turkish Airlines have been flying from Košice since June 2016, managing director of Turkish Airlines Košice, Ömer Saka, noted.
"I can confirm that Košice is a great destination with remarkable potential for business and tourism,” Ömer Saka told TASR.
The airlines presently flying from Košice include Austrian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Czech Airlines, Eurowings, Wizzair and Ryanair.
