Ankara court rejects appeal for Kurdish flight announcements

DİYARBAKIR - Doğan News Agency

An Ankara administrative court has rejected a mandate bidding to make flight announcements and warnings in Kurdish, in addition to Turkish, in flights through Diyarbakır Airport in the southeastern Turkish province. 

Diyarbakır Bar lawyer Mahsuni Karaman appealed in 2012 to the Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Ministry, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation and the General Directorate of State Airports Authority and demanded all announcements, warnings and alarms on flights be made in Kurdish, in addition to Turkish. This appeal included flights from Diyarbakır to other provinces, as well as flights landing to Diyarbakır.

After the rejection, Karaman filed a claim against the General Directorate of State Airports Authority, urging for wider implementation of Kurdish to ease communication, daily life and business for locals.

Karaman also stressed international regulations included such implementations and demanded an annulment of the rejection.

However, the Ankara court disclaimed the argument, saying the Flight Information, Announcement and Consultancy Services Operating Instructions required announcements to be in English or in any other official languages. “Kurdish is not amongst languages that can be used in civil aviation” and the decision was “in compliance with law,” the court decision said.

Making the announcement in a language which was “not defined as an official language” in international regulations would “create chaos,” it said.

According to the justification of the decision, within the constitution with respect to the International Civil Aviation Agreement signed by Turkey in 1945, English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese are listed as official languages in civil aviation.

“This situation could not be forcibly changed through a court decision,” the court said.