Multiple flights to Istanbul have been diverted following reports that the Turkish military has taken control of the city's main airport.
Military tanks have reportedly
seized control of Ataturk International Airport, with forces claiming they now control the country.
https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak/status/754052380552007680
https://twitter.com/SkyNewsBreak/status/754069862901841925
British Airways flight BA680 from Heathrow has turned back, according to
Sky's Alastair Bunkall, while
the website for Ataturk International is inaccessible at the time of writing.
https://twitter.com/AliBunkallSKY/status/754063798345097216
British Airways has confirmed that the flight has been diverted to Sofia, Bulgaria.
https://twitter.com/British_Airways/status/754069013785878529
According to the
@airlivenet Twitter account, which provides live updates on air traffic, all outbound flights have been cancelled and many - if not all - incoming flights have been diverted. At the time of writing, it is unclear whether a small number of Turkish Airlines flights were able to land at the airport.
FlightRadar reports that the last flight out of Istanbul, an Onur Air flight to Elazig, left Ataturk Airport at approximately 10pm UK time. Further international flights are believed to have been grounded, according to unconfirmed reports.
Flights operated by British Airways and KLM have both been confirmed as having been diverted, and both airlivenet and FlightRadar are among the Twitter accounts providing real-time updates.
The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs has issued this travel advisory and helpline number:
https://twitter.com/dfatirl/status/754067770036322308
The warning reads:
"We are advising Irish citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Turkey at this time.
"The Department of Foreign Affairs and our embassy in Ankara are monitoring the evolving situation in Ankara and Istanbul where a heightened security presence and some incidents of violence are reported.
"The situation is unclear, and Irish citizens considering travel to Turkey are advised to delay travel until the situation becomes clearer."
