Turkey: Limitation Periods In Air Transportation In Turkey

20 December 2023

by Özgün Önal , Büşra Erman , Bilgenur Muslu and Fatih Yildiz

MGC Legal

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The popularity of air travel brings along certain legal issues. How passengers should claim their rights in the face of problems such as flight cancellations, delays, or lost baggage, which mechanisms come into play, and how these processes are operated are frequently encountered issues in civil aviation. In this article, we delve into the procedures when the Air Transport Enterprise violates passenger rights regulations, how to apply to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the legal processes to be applied in cases taken to the judiciary.

Applications to The Directorate General of Civil Aviation in Case The Air Carrier Fails to Fulfill its Obligations Under The Regulation

Under passenger rights, passengers may file a complaint to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. A draft instruction regulating the procedures and principles of the applications to be made in this regard has been published. According to this draft, the passenger must submit the applications in person or by their authorized representative to the air transport operator and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation within six months from the flight date.

Applications for denied boarding, flight delay, flight cancellation, and assignment to a lower/upper class shall first be addressed to the air transport operator operating the flight subject to the complaint. If the air operator fails to provide an adequate response to the complaint, fails to obtain results from the complaint, or fails to respond to the complaint within ten days, the application shall be directed to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.