The recently opened Gazipaşa Airport, located in eastern Antalya, will soon be receiving scheduled flights, according to Gazipaşa Mayor Cemburak Özgenç.

The airport will obtain a C-III reference code after an inspection planned for next week while scheduled flights to Istanbul and Ankara are expected to start in June, said Özgenç.

The airport has been available for domestic and international flights since last year with a C-II reference code that allows planes with a capacity of 150-160 passengers to land. Although the airport is technically suitable for such flights, airlines companies do not usually choose C-II airports.

Obtaining a C-III reference code will allow larger planes and would be preferred by more airlines.

“The works for expansion of the runway are almost finished,” the mayor said. “We have been in talks with Bora Jet and start direct flights from Ankara and Istanbul next month.”

Bora Jet is Turkey’s first airline company to launch regional small-size commercial air transportation with Turboprop ATR 72-500 propeller planes.

The Turboprop ATR 72-500 planes can carry 74 passengers, however Bora Jet has reduced the number of passengers to 66.

The company launched flights to Tokat and the northern province of Zonguldak earlier this month, and also plans to fly to Aegean towns of Selçuk and Edremit, as well as the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir.

The airline company has three ATR 72-500 propeller planes at the moment. However, it plans to increase its fleet soon.

Özgenç said Bora Jet has been offered a guarantee to fly at 100 percent capacity for the first month. “If the seats remain empty, they will be financed by us and some residents of Gazipaşa,” he said.

“After one month, the flights will continue on a regular schedule. The people of Alanya, Anamaur and Gazipaşa should be ready and buy as many tickets as possible. The more we show interest in the tickets the more flights will be launched,” the mayor said.

The construction of Gazipaşa Airport, located in eastern Antalya, started in 1992. Planners hope to serve the residents of Gazipaşa, the Alanya region in general and many others in a coastal stretch extending to the historical town of Anamur.