Turkish citizens living across Europe have raised their voices against the rising airline ticket prices in recent years. Expatriates who want to travel to Türkiye state that the price hikes, especially reaching 100–200% during the summer period, make family visits and trips to their homeland difficult.
In this context, 60 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in Europe and founded by Turkish citizens came together in Germany and issued a joint declaration. The main agenda of the meeting was the high costs encountered in round-trip travel to Türkiye.
Call for “Ticket prices to be lowered to reasonable levels”
Bahattin Gemici, President of the North Rhine-Westphalia Voting Rights Initiative, stated in his speech at the meeting that the high price increases, especially during the summer months, are unacceptable.
Gemici called on airline companies such as Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines (THY), SunExpress, Pegasus, AJet and Corendon, which operate frequent flights between Türkiye and Europe, saying:
“Ticket prices must be reduced to reasonable levels, and excessive price hikes must be stopped.”
Gemici noted that expatriates set out every summer with longing for their homeland, but ticket prices place a burden on many families. At the meeting, NGO representatives emphasised that a fairer and more accessible pricing policy should be applied for flights to both Türkiye and Europe.
