By Kurt Hofmann

The Turkish government has announced strict restrictions on flights in an effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, banning all international flights until May 1.

Turkish Airlines is especially impacted and has temporarily suspended all international flights and the majority of its domestic flights.

The flag carrier said it will operate domestic flights on a limited basis to the following cities: Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Izmir, Kayseri, Konya, Malatya, Samsun, Trabzon and Van. All other domestic flights are suspended until May 1.

All passengers on domestic flights In Turkey will be required to submit an official travel permit document. Passengers without a permit will not be able to buy flight tickets from now on. If they have a previously purchased a ticket, they will still not be allowed to board the aircraft without a permit.

Turkish Airlines, a Star Alliance member, normally operates around 265 aircraft to over 300 destinations.

Photo credit: Turkish Airlines