Ferry Capsizes in Girne, Sending Airfares Soaring to 35,000 Lira

A ferry accident has left travelers heading to or leaving Northern Cyprus facing airfares of more than 35,000 Turkish lira for flights lasting less than an hour.

The 267-passenger vessel was operating between Girne and Taşucu when it capsized. The disruption increased demand for flights between Çukurova International Airport and Ercan Airport, a journey that takes about 45 to 50 minutes.

Dynamic pricing and last-minute fares pushed some tickets above 35,000 lira, prompting criticism on social media. Girne Mayor Murat Şenkul said the higher demand after the accident was understandable, but argued that it should not drive prices to extraordinary levels.

Şenkul said people had been waiting for a long time in difficult conditions at Girne Port. Some had visas or permits expiring, while others urgently needed to return to their countries. He said tickets that normally cost about 6,000 lira had risen to as much as 22,000 lira.

"We still couldn’t get beyond a commercial outlook even in these conditions. Shame on all of us," Şenkul wrote. He also called for lessons to be learned from the accident, accountability for those responsible and measures to prevent a similar incident.

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We still couldn’t get beyond a commercial outlook even in these conditions. Shame on all of us.