Ankara — A lawmaker from Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Deniz Yavuzyilmaz, has called for the dismissal and trial of Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu, alleging negligence and a cover-up regarding the fatal crash of a plane carrying Libya’s Chief of General Staff in Ankara.
Sharing purported official documents on the social media platform X, Yavuzyilmaz cited minutes from an April 30, 2026, meeting of the airport facilitation committee (HALINKOK) at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport. According to the lawmaker, the Libyan aircraft, which landed on Dec. 22, was directed to “Apron 5,” an isolated area far from the standard VIP parking zone.
The opposition deputy further claimed that a “suspicious” Israeli jet landed the following day and was directed to the same apron. Yavuzyilmaz alleged the two aircraft were parked together for one hour and 41 minutes while the Libyan crew was away from the airport. He linked this proximity to the sudden failure of the Libyan plane’s three generators shortly after takeoff, which resulted in the fatal crash with no survivors.
Citing the leaked documents, Yavuzyilmaz described Apron 5 as an unmonitored “blind spot” with inadequate camera coverage and limited visibility from the control tower. He accused Minister Uraloglu of abusing his office by failing to take necessary security measures despite knowing the area’s vulnerabilities.
The allegations have sparked intense political debate within Turkey’s domestic sphere, while official responses from the Ministry of Transport and relevant authorities regarding the published documents and claims remain pending.
