The flag air carrier Turkish Airlines and the low-cost Pegasus Airlines have reactivated the air connections at the international airport of Hatay, located in the southern region of the country, among the most affected by the earthquake. Meanwhile, the state airline's management has announced that flights between February 13 and 19 will require advance booking to facilitate the process of evacuating the earthquake victims.

The vice president for media relations of the state airline, Yahya Ustun, added that those who arrive at the airport without a reservation will be accepted if there are still free seats. Flights at the Hatay airport had been suspended following the serious damage to the runway.

The first aircraft to take off from Hatay was operated by Pegasus Airlines (PC 4031) bound for Sabiha Gökçen Airport with 60 passengers on board. Meanwhile, the victims of the two earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 that hit Turkey and Syria have risen to almost 41,000. Over 13 million people in 10 provinces are affected in Turkey alone: including Hatay, Gaziantep, Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

On the matter see also the article published by AVIONEWS.