The first flight to take Turkish Cypriot students in the UK back to North Cyprus will be leaving tonight.
Some 160 students lined the check-in desk at Stansted Airport as they prepared to be flown back home as thousands have been left uncertain, alone and worried as the coronavirus pandemic has hit the globe.
As flight bans and cancellations take effect with countries trying to fight against the spread of the coronavirus, universities have turned to online classes and exam, leave thousands of students unsure of what to do next.
With many students who pre-booked their flights home during the half-term having their flights cancelled, they now face the daunting fact, their halls of residency or rentals leases are coming to an end and they will have nowhere to go.
The first of two flight to take back Turkish Cypriot students will be taking off tonight at 6.10 pm and the second flight will be taking off tomorrow morning at 8 am.
Students from outside London were picked up by 2 coaches, one travelling to pick-up points in Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham while the other travelled from Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol, Southampton and Brighton.
The flight will be transiting at Istanbul where students will stay on the plane for some time until they take to the air again for the final leg of the flight and landed in Ercan Airport at 2.05 am local time. Once in North Cyprus, they will be taken into quarantine for 14 days.
At this stage, it is unclear if more flights will be arranged but with the high number of Turkish Cypriot students and citizen in the UK who face uncertainly as the coronavirus pandemic, calls for help have been made.
For more detailed information, you can call Mustafa Özbilgehan on 0771945327 or email mustafaozbilgehan@hotmail.com.
Mustafa Özbilgehan a member of the UK Turkish Cypriot Students Federation (BKK-TOF) has also said that a form is also available for those who wish to apply – APPLICATION FORM LINK
