ISTANBUL. – Ali Murat Ersoy, who owns the Turkish Atlasjet airlines, which conducts flights between Istanbul and Armenia’s capital city Yerevan, confessed at court that his company had sometimes leased unsafe airplanes.  

A trial in connection with Atlasjet was held at an Istanbul court, reports Radikal daily of Turkey.

During the court session, Ersoy stated that his company’s former CEO, commercial director, and assistant commercial director had illegally transferred $40 million to their accounts, and attempted to sell the airline to an American businessman, by way of declaring bankruptcy, and, subsequently, they had bought it back.      

Ersoy also stated that the aforesaid individuals had leased, to various tour operators, airplanes that were not registered in the airline. According to him, they leased these planes from other airlines at a cheaper price, and sometimes these aircrafts were unfit for conducting flights.