Fog could continue to disrupt air travel, warns Meteorology Dept

Air traffic over Istanbul was disrupted over the past two days due to heavy early morning fog and the Meteorology Department has forecasted more fog for the entire week, causing concern as the Bayram holiday draws near.

Many flights to and from Istanbul since Friday have been canceled and many others have suffered long delays. Fights were prevented from landing at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport and Atatürk Airport, which became the scene of long queues. Now, the Meteorology Department is warning that fog might continue to be an issue in western and central parts of the country this week.

The Kurban Bayram, or Feast of the Sacrifice holiday, begins Friday and the long Bayram holidays, in this case four days, are usually witness to increased air and road traffic.

The fog has also resulted in boat runs being suspended and increased traffic jams on the roads, but the most affected has been air traffic.

Flights were prevented from landing at the city’s airports during times when visibility fell to 150-200 meters. The Instrument Landing System on aircrafts is negatively affected when visibility drops to those levels.

Forty-three flights destined for Istanbul Atatürk Airport have been diverted to Ankara, İzmir, Antalya, Adana and Samsun since early Saturday.

Seventy-two flights headed for Sabiha Gökçen Airport were diverted to other destinations as well. Some aircraft had to circle for 90 minutes before being granted permission to land and 2,056 flights were canceled.

Fistfights broke out at Sabiha Gökçen Airport on Saturday night when information boards providing flight information malfunctioned.

“My ticket was canceled 20 times. I was forced to spend the night here,” said Abdurrahman Kurtuluş, waiting to board a plane for Adıyaman for about 50 hours. “It is still not clear when the plane will take off. I don’t know who to hold responsible for this,” he said.

Another passenger, Sertaç Özer, who waited for 32 hours, said he blamed Turkish Airlines officials for the situation.

An airport official said stranded passengers were taken care of at no extra charge. The official said hotel accommodation was provided to some passengers and refreshments were distributed to passengers at the Sabiha Gökçen Airport.