PARIS - A ban on flights by Turkish low-cost airline Onur Air to France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland was lifted on Tuesday, after the airline promised to meet their safety concerns on its flights, civil aviation authority officials said.
The French civil aviation authority DGAC "along with the Dutch, German and Swiss civil aviation administrations decided to jointly lift the flight ban on the Turkish company Onur Air," a statement said.
In the Netherlands, a transport ministry statement said flights to that country would resume gradually, because "the application of all measures takes time."
Onur Air welcomed the announcement in Ankara and said it would regain its former market share within 10 days.
The Netherlands had imposed an initial ban on Onur Air on May 12, citing "serious safety deficiencies", and prompting France, Germany and Switzerland to follow suit and declare their territories off-limits as well.
The Dutch ban had underscored problems with respect to aircraft, operational procedures and aircraft handling.
In Ankara, Onur Air spokesman Rauf Gerz hailed the news Tuesday, saying: "We are happy with this decision," while a company statement thanked Turkish officials for their support.
Gerz vowed that the airline would "regain its former force within 10 days."
DGAC said that the decision was the result of discussions with Turkish authorities, which along with Onur Air had pledged to "put in place an action plan to improve flight security".
The four European countries would carry out controls on aircraft operated by the carrier in the coming weeks and pool the information to ensure the plan had taken effect, it added.
Onur Air officials had threatened to file a lawsuit over the restrictive measures against Dutch and German officials if no explanation were given for the ban, but lifted the threat during negotiations.
The Dutch transport ministry said the Turkish authorities had already applied certain of the requested safety measures, including a better sharing out of weight on Onur Air flights by ground services.
According to the Turkish airline, the bans have affected nearly 40,000 passengers.
The carrier depends heavily on its charter business to Germany and the Netherlands, which have sizable communities of Turkish immigrant workers.
Last year Onur Air, which employs 900 employees and operates 26 aircraft, reported sales of 450 million dollars (354.2 million euros).
05/24/2005 19:56 GMT