Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Tbilisi © Onnik James Krikorian 2019
“Welcome to Armenia,” the pilot’s voice came over the tannoy as the Turkish Atlasjet flight touched down in Yerevan some time in 2011. “The temperature outside is…” A normal announcement on any flight. This one, however, came in Turkish before being repeated in English. In Armenia. That was 14 years ago now. Despite the lack of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the flights have existed for years albeit with some interruptions and later operated by Pegasus and Flyone.
My flight to Istanbul was to make a presentation on my work on Armenian-Azerbaijan reconciliation and coexistence for the Hrant Dink Foundation. The organisation was holding a multimedia workshop for journalists and photographers from Armenia and Türkiye and understood how the two processes were linked even if many have long preferred that they weren’t..
[…]
According to media reports at the weekend, Turkish Airlines, Türkiye’s national flag carrier, plans to operate flights to and from Armenia. Though this was not a public announcement, it was a filing on Türkiye’s Public Disclosure Platform (KAP), an official system. No dates or other details were provided, instead emphasising that this would occur subject to market conditions and public demand.
[…]
But it is not all plain sailing ahead. Normalisation between Armenia and Türkiye still remains contingent on the same between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Speaking after the meeting between Rubinyan and Kılıç, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said it would come only after a peace agreement between Yerevan and Baku is signed. This, he says, is anticipated in the first half of 2026.
The full piece is available here.
