Turkey coup: Tourists trapped in airports across country after failed power grab

Over 2.5 million British nationals visit Turkey every year

A passenger walks as Turkish army's tanks enter the Ataturk Airport on July 16, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Defne Karadeniz/Getty Images)

Tourists have been trapped at airports across Turkey after Friday night's failed military coup.

Forces loyal to Turkey's government fought on Saturday to crush the last remnants of a military coup attempt. Television images late Friday had shown tanks parked in front of the airport.

British Airways cancelled all flights to and from the country on Saturday, while Thomas Cook has advised its customers to “stay in their hotels until further notice”.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office has advised people to “stay indoors” and to avoid public places and conflict areas.

British Airways said in a statement it was halting all flights to Turkey on Saturday and one on Sunday as a precaution.

“The safety and security of our customers and crew are always our top priority and we would never operate a flight unless it was safe to do so.”

Over 2,500,000 British nationals visit Turkey every year according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

EasyJet said its advice from British authorities was to continue flying, although it was monitoring developments.

However, Turkish Airlines has resumed flights from Istanbul's international airport. A spokesman for Turkish Airlines said flights had now returned to their normal schedule from Europe's third largest hub, though delays were to be expected.

Turkish budget carrier Pegasus said its flights were also experiencing minor delays.

The closure of Istanbul's Ataturk Airport late on Friday had caused the diversion of 35 airplanes and cancelled 32 flights, Turkish Airlines chairman Ilker Ayci told broadcaster CNN Turk.

The attempted coup follows a series of bombings that hit Turkey this year, including a suicide attack in June that killed 45 people at Istanbul's main airport. They have weighed on international travel to the country.

The number of foreign visitors to Turkey fell by 28 percent in April, data showed on Friday, the biggest drop in 17 years.

The decline signals more pain for Turkey's economy, which is smarting from slowing exports and weak investment. Some economists have forecast that tourism revenue will drop by a quarter this year, costing around $8 billion.

German airline Lufthansa cancelled all its flights to Istanbul and Ankara on Saturday and pared back the number flights to holiday destinations Bodrum and Antalya.

TUI which owns the Thomson and First Choice holiday companies, said its flights to Dalaman, Antalya and Izmir were operating as normal.

People wait at Turkish Airlines desk at Adolfo Suarez airport in Barajas, near Madrid on July 16, 2016 as Turkish Airlines cancelled their flights following an attempted coup in Turkey. (PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty Images)

Russia also suspended passenger flights to the country on the orders of President Vladimir Putin, TASS news agency said.

Turkish and Russian officials had met this week to discuss the restarting of charter flights between the two countries and tourism security after relations soured following Turkey's downing of a Russian jet last year.

State airline EgyptAir also cancelled all flights on Saturday to Istanbul, the company said in a statement. The company, which has 14 flights to Istanbul per week, did not say when they were expected to resume.

All flights from Istanbul to Sofia for Saturday had been cancelled, according to Sofia airport's website.

Reuters