Are you aware of a regulation change when flying over Turkey?

General Aviation flights (private and non-commercial) are now able to use Turkey Airspace without obtaining an overflight permit, under a regulation implemented in 2005 by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation Authority of Turkey. However, all operators must ensure compliance with all regulations before using Turkish airspace:

Bilateral agreements with Turkey – all aircraft registered under the bilateral agreement between Turkey and the other 139 countries don’t require an overflight permit
Cargo flights to Libya, Iraq, Syria, Armenia, and Cyprus require overflight permits even though the aircraft is registered under the bilateral agreement with Turkey
An overflight permit number is required for all flights carrying heads of state, dangerous cargo, troops, sensitive flights, etc.
All operators planning to use Turkis airspace must ensure to submit valid aircraft documents to the Civil Aviation Authority

Aircraft documents required to be filed as follows:

• Noise Certificate
• Air Operator Certificate
• Certificate of Insurance
• Certificate of Registration
• Certificate of Airworthiness

Turkey overflight permits are still required for all aircraft not registered under the bilateral agreement with Turkey.

To avoid any negative implications to your schedule, it is highly recommended to send a notification to UAS International Trip Support one to two days before the date of operation to ensure the advanced acceptance of your flight with the concerned authorities.

We also recommend that all operators continue to file individual notifications for each of their operations, as there have been incidents in the past where operators that have pre-registered their details with the Turkish CAA still end up with delays and issues to sort out at short notice.

Contact our Middle East headquarters for more information here