Jobless Greek Pilots Head for Turkey

Unemployed pilots in Greece have begun seeking jobs in Turkey due to the ongoing financial crisis, according to Turkish mass media.

Many Greek citizens choose Antalya to work in various fields, especially in tourism. More than 10 pilots have asked for jobs in Antalya. The number of applications from EU countries for work permits at the Foreign Division of the Antalya Police Department has increased, including 35 from Greece applying for jobs in tourism and aviation.

Many Turkish newspapers, such as Milliyet’s front page, Hurriyet, Cumhuriyet and Aksam have been  covering the subject.

A few weeks ago, a retired rear admiral tried to cause problems to the relatively few Greek pilots who have started working for Turkey’s national air carrier, Turkish Airlines (THY), accusing them of being agents. The rear admiral in question is Turker Erturk, who resigned in 2011 in protest of the High Military Council’s decision not to promote him. His name was on the list of suspects for the Sledgehammer case.

As the daily Today’s Zaman reports, THY officials rejected Erturk’s claims, noting that there are currently 2,378 pilots working for THY, 48 percent of whom have a military background. They also stated that there are 295 foreign pilots working for the company, 31 of whom are from Greece.

via Jobless Greek Pilots Head for Turkey | Greece.GreekReporter.com Latest News from Greece.