Ankara: Trkiye and Hungary's long-standing aviation negotiations have concluded with a new air services deal that will sharply increase passenger and cargo flights, said the Turkish transport and infrastructure minister. Abdulkadir Uraloglu told Anadolu that passenger flight rights will almost triple from 35 per week to 98 in phase one, while cargo flight rights will double from seven to 14 per week.

According to Anadolu Agency, sixteen cooperation agreements in diplomatic, economic, and cultural fields were signed during Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban's visit to Trkiye this Monday. The air services deal was signed by Uraloglu and Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto.

Uraloglu said the new agreement will replace an air transport deal signed in 1966 once approved by the Turkish parliament. 'This is a significant agreement as it is the first air transport deal Trkiye signed with an EU member state in quite a while,' he said. 'This agreement is the product of around 2 1/2 years' worth of meticulous negotiations, and it will be subject to the Turkish parliament's approval process.'

He said the deal removes frequency restrictions and destination limitations, allowing Turkish carriers to increase flights to Hungary and enabling Hungarian and other EU carriers to operate flights to Trkiye if they meet the required conditions.

'When the deal comes into force, the passenger and cargo transportation capacity between Trkiye and Hungary will further expand the trade volume, while supporting mutual tourism potential, contributing to the accessibility in cultural and economic interactions between the two countries,' he added.