The new penalty for smoking on the plane has been announced.

Passengers who engage in misconduct on airplanes, argue with cabin crews and other passengers, and obstruct the flight crew from performing their duties using force will be fined 19,668 lira. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that the administrative fines to be implemented by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (SHGM) in 2025 have been published in the Official Gazette. Minister Uraloğlu emphasized the recent incidents at airports and on airplanes, stating, "Administrative fines ranging from 19,668 to 131,176 lira will be imposed on training and maintenance organizations, aviation and balloon businesses, aviation personnel, drone pilots, and passengers who jeopardize safety."

THE FINE FOR SMOKING ON AIRPLANES HAS INCREASED TO 19,668 LIRA

Sharing the details of the decision, Minister Uraloğlu stated that passengers using devices that produce smoke and tobacco products inside the aircraft will be fined 19,668 lira, adding, "In cases where passengers resist screening and manual searches at security checkpoints in airports despite warnings, and obstruct security personnel from doing their jobs, an administrative fine of 26,226 lira will be imposed. Passengers who engage in misconduct on airplanes, argue with cabin crews and other passengers, and obstruct the flight crew from performing their duties using force will also be fined 19,668 lira," he stated.

A FINE OF 131,176 LIRA WILL BE IMPOSED FOR POINTING LASERS AT AIRCRAFT AND SIMILAR VIOLATIONS

Uraloğlu noted that an administrative fine of 131,176 lira will be imposed for pointing lasers at aircraft, interfering with aircraft communications, and similar violations, stating, "With the investments made in the aviation sector over the last 20 years, we have made 'air travel the people's way.' We will not allow any practices that could endanger our citizens during their air travel."

"WE HAVE TURNED TURKEY INTO ONE OF THE COUNTRIES WITH THE LARGEST FLIGHT NETWORK IN THE WORLD"

Uraloğlu mentioned that Turkey, located in a favorable and magnificent location at the center of 67 countries with 1.4 billion people and a flight duration of 4 hours, has increased the number of active airports from 26 in 2002 to 57, stating, "By moving with the goal of leaving no point in the world unreachable, we have transformed the country into one of the countries with the largest flight network in the world."

Uraloğlu pointed out that the number of countries with air transport agreements has also increased from 81 to 174, stating, "While flights were being conducted to 60 points in 50 countries on international routes, we added 286 new points to our flight network, reaching 346 points in 131 countries." He noted that the number of passengers traveling on domestic and international routes, which was approximately 34.5 million in 2002, has exceeded 214 million in the first 11 months of 2024, and that the number of flights, including transit overflights that occurred in Turkish airspace last year, has also exceeded 2,121,000 during the same period.