Minister Uraloğlu announced that compensation rights have been introduced for flight delays.

The Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, stated that compensation will be paid to passengers not only in the event of flight cancellations but also in case of delays, saying, "With the change, passengers will have the right to compensation if flights are delayed for 3 hours or more due to technical and operational reasons."

The "Regulation on the Opening, Operation, and Vehicle Inspection Stations" prepared by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has been published in the Official Gazette and has come into effect.

Minister Uraloğlu provided information about the application introduced by the regulation change. He stated that assistant managers who have worked for 4 years at vehicle inspection stations can become station managers, and that high school and equivalent school graduates can also work as technicians at vehicle inspection stations.

NEW RIGHTS FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND EQUIVALENT SCHOOL GRADUATES

Uraloğlu drew attention to the fact that an exam will be held for this, saying: "In vehicle inspection stations, the number of inspection technicians will not exceed 20% of the total staff, and after a 6-week field training, high school and equivalent school graduates will be allowed to work as technicians at vehicle inspection stations, provided they receive two weeks of theoretical training on vehicle technology, testing methods, inspection methods, defect tables, defect assessment, vehicle inspection legislation, administrative provisions, and general computer usage, and pass the exam at the end of this training."

COMPENSATION AMOUNT FOR DOMESTIC FLIGHTS IS 100 EUROS

Minister Uraloğlu also evaluated the "Regulation on Amendments to the Regulation on the Rights of Passengers Traveling by Air" issued by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation.

Recalling that compensation was previously paid to passengers in the event of flight cancellations, Uraloğlu stated that there was no such application in case of flight delays. Uraloğlu said, "Turkish airlines were paying compensation to foreign passengers on flights departing from or arriving in the European Union (EU) under the EU Passenger Rights Regulation, but were not making the same payments to Turkish citizens in the same situation. With the new regulation, this discrepancy has been eliminated, and compliance with international standards has been achieved. With the change, passengers will have the right to compensation if flights are delayed for 3 hours or more due to technical and operational reasons."

COMPENSATION FOR DELAYS OF 3 HOURS OR MORE CAN REACH UP TO 600 EUROS

Uraloğlu emphasized that the compensation amounts to be given to passengers have also been determined, stating: "For delays of 3 hours or more on domestic flights, a compensation of 100 euros will be paid. For international flights, 250 euros for all flights of 1500 kilometers or shorter, 400 euros for flights between 1500 and 3500 kilometers, and 600 euros for flights longer than 3500 kilometers will be paid. When calculating the equivalent of the compensation in Turkish lira, the exchange rate of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey on the day the compensation is paid will be taken as the basis. The change aims to strengthen passenger rights, improve the operational planning of airlines, and prevent long delays. We implemented this regulation during the winter period when operations are less intense to facilitate compliance for airlines. Positive effects are expected to be seen during the summer period.