ISTANBUL, Feb 24 (KUNA) -- Turkish Airlines suspended some of flights to Iran until Febuary 27 amid fears from outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The country's national flag carrier has taken a series of measures on trips to neighboring Iran as the latter scrambles to contain the coronavirus outbreak, Turkey's Anadolu Agency (AA) reported, citing sources in the company.
These measures include cancelling the flights to Iranian cities such as Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz and Tabriz, and reducing the daily flights to Tehran to two, the sources said. Although there are no restrictions on passengers traveling to the Iranian capital, only Turkish passengers are accepted on return flights, the sources added.
Turkey has also temporarily closed its land borders and train services with the Islamic republic as the death toll from the virus in Iran rose to 12 - the highest outside China.
Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines continues to evaluate the evolving situation of the epidemic that emerged last December and has so far claimed nearly 2,600 lives, mainly in China.
About 77,000 people in China, where the virus emerged, have also been infected. (end) wa.gb