Ahmet Tuğcu, the Chairman of the Cyprus Turkish Electricity Institution Employees’ Union (EL-SEN), posted on his social media account that an electrical panel exploded on September 7 at Ercan Airport, which is operated by T&T, of which Emrullah Turanlı is a major partner, Kibris Postasi reported.
Tuğcu, who used the expression “irregular electricity”, referring to the fact the the airport is still being run on builder’s electricity* supply, noted the following in his post:
“On 07/09/24 at 19:00 at Ercan Airport, a major disaster was averted due to the panel explosion that occurred because KIB-TEK did not perform a check on the installation according to our country’s laws, and it was sheer luck that no one was hurt. I ask again, are you waiting for someone to lose their life to do a proper job? In addition to the chaos experienced by the passengers at that hour, were the repairs done properly? Who cares… How many panel explosions is this?”
*Ercan Airport in North Cyprus has been facing significant issues with its power supply. Despite political efforts to prevent the electricity from being cut due to unpaid debts, the airport has struggled with power cuts since the new terminal opened in 2023.
The primary issue stems from the airport’s operating on “builder’s electricity,” meaning it hasn’t had a fully stable or permanent power setup. This has led to several problems, including outages that caused flight delays and safety concerns, such as air traffic controllers having to use mobile phones to communicate with pilots. Additionally, the airport has experienced technical failures in its baggage handling systems and jet bridges, further complicating operations.
The underlying problem is tied to infrastructure at the nearby substation in Mora, which powers the airport but has been unable to handle fluctuating demand. The situation is aggravated by general electricity shortages in the region, with the Turkish Cypriot authorities even resorting to buying electricity from the south to meet demand, though it hasn’t been sufficient to resolve the ongoing power issues. [Ed.]