Taiwanese tour groups in Turkey are opting to continue with their tours after Friday’s attempted coup.
A faction of Turkey’s armed forces attempted to seize control of the government on Friday night, taking over airports, bridges, TV stations and military headquarters. The coup was swiftly put down with an official total of 265 people killed in street clashes and airborne dogfights. Thousands of soldiers have been rounded up for their part in the attempt to seize power.
Flights into Istanbul’s main airport were affected, with one Eva Air flight from Taiwan bound for Istanbul forced to turn back while over Indian airspace. A Turkish Airlines flight from Taiwan to Istanbul meanwhile was forced to divert to an airport in the south of Turkey.
Taiwan’s tourism authorities have advised against travel to Turkey in the wake of the attempted coup. However, some 28 tour groups from Taiwan totaling over 640 people are understood to remain in the country and have chosen to continue their tours in spite of the unrest.