Air Canada cancels flights to Istanbul after airport bombing

Members of a flight crew leave Istanbul's Ataturk airport, early Wednesday, June 29, 2016. (AP Photo / Emrah Gurel)

All immediate Air Canada flights to and from Istanbul were cancelled after twin bombings on Tuesday killed dozens of people at Turkey’s Ataturk Airport, one of the world’s busiest international travel hubs.

The attack comes after the Canadian government recently ramped up its travel advisory to Turkey and warned travellers about terrorism concerns specifically targeting tourists.

No Canadians have been reported among the victims, a spokesperson from Global Affairs said on Tuesday evening.

Air Canada confirmed that a Tuesday flight from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport to Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport and a return flight on the same aircraft Wednesday were both cancelled. An earlier flight from Istanbul landed safely in Toronto on Tuesday.

“We have also determined that Air Canada employees in Istanbul are safe,” Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick told CTV News in an emailed statement.

A senior government official told the Associated Press that all indications suggest that Islamic State terrorists are responsible for carrying out the attack.

Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said Canada “strongly condemns” the attacks and offered condolences to the family of those killed by the bombs.

“We stand with the Turkish people as they deal with this most recent and appalling terror attack. We reaffirm our commitment to work tirelessly in the fight against terrorism,” Dion said in a statement Tuesday evening.

Turkey has been the target of several bombings in recent months, some of which specifically sought out tourists. Two earlier attacks on tourists in Istanbul were believed to be plotted by Islamic State militants, and others have been linked to the PKK, a Kurdish terrorist group.

As attacks on Turkish soil surged, the Canadian government renewed its travel warning to tourists. Travellers are advised to stay in hotels with “robust security measures” and travel “with extreme caution” near the Syrian border, where kidnappings by ISIS, also known as ISIL, are known to happen.

“Further attacks are expected ‎to occur, and terrorist groups have indicated that they will specifically target foreigners and tourists,” the warning reads.

Canada’s foreign offices in Ankara and Istanbul are closely monitoring the situation, a Global Affairs spokesperson said.

The White House released a similar warning of “increased threats” in Turkey on Monday, and cautioned travellers to stay clear of the country’s southeastern region.

“Foreign and U.S. tourists have been explicitly targeted by international and indigenous terrorist organizations,” the statement reads.

Ataturk Airport is Turkey’s largest airport and was the 11th most popular airport in the world in 2015. Ataturk is a popular layover destination for air travellers headed to Asia from Europe and North America.

Air Canada will allow customers who booked travel to or from Istanbul to cancel or change their flights without penalty.

With files from the Associated Press