Tunisia reroutes Turkey flights to separate terminal amid fears of militants returning from Syria

Ahram Online , Thursday 2 Jan 2025

State-owned Tunisair has confirmed that flights from Turkey will be rerouted to a separate terminal at Tunis-Carthage International Airport as a precautionary action, as reported by German news agency dpa.

Tunis-Carthage Airport
Tunis-Carthage Airport. Reuters file photo

 

These flights will be processed at the secondary terminal, typically reserved for Hajj pilgrims travelling to holy sites in Saudi Arabia.

As a result, passengers arriving from Turkey will undergo customs checks at a different facility, dpa added.

Tunisair issued a brief statement confirming the decision was made by Tunisian authorities but did not provide further details.

According to dpa, the move follows concerns from civil society groups about the potential return of Tunisian militants from Syria via Turkey after the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a lightning offensive that toppled President Bashar al-Assad on 8 December.

HTS, which now effectively governs the country, has roots in al-Qaeda and its former Syrian branch, al-Nusra Front.

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