Question: There have been some reports lately in the Greek press concerning submission of flight plans by Turkish military aircraft. Could you clarify this issue?

Answer: It is a normal procedure for military aircraft to request overflight clearance before passing through the sovereign airspace of other countries. In this context, we welcome Greece's recent move, after a long interval, to grant overflight clearance to Turkish military aircraft proceeding to Western European countries on NATO duties, as an act in conformity with the Alliance's principles and spirit of cooperation.

However, it is known that according to international law regarding aviation, military aircraft performing flights in the international airspace are not required to submit flight plans or apply for clearances. Accordingly, Turkish military aircraft performing flights in the international airspace of the Aegean for purposes of training, exercises etc... are not required in any way to submit flight plans. Therefore, one should not confuse flights through a country's sovereign airspace in line with international law and flights in international airspace.