Attempted Coup in Turkey: What Travelers Need to Know

UPDATE Saturday, July 16, 11:30 a.m.

The Guardian and The New York Times are reporting that the attempted coup has failed. Overnight, in apparent response to President Erdogan's exhortations, protesters took to the streets in Istanbul and Ankara to oppose the military's occupation. Police resisted and eventually overwhelmed military personnel, who had reportedly surrendered by morning. Thousands of soldiers are said to have been detained. President Erdogan was able to return to Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport early Saturday morning, where throngs of demonstrators had gathered to overwhelm troops who had occupied and shut the airport down.

The U.S. Embassy in Ankara "informs U.S. citizens that routes to Istanbul’s Ataturk airport are open" today. However, as of this morning, "we are still hearing reports of sporadic gunfire. Security at Ataturk airport is significantly diminished" and government employees were told not to travel in and out of Ataturk airport. The Federal Aviation Administration's Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) on July 15 "prohibited" "U.S. airline carriers from flying to or from Istanbul and Ankara airports."All airline carriers, regardless of country of registry, are prohibited from flying into the United States from Turkey either directly or via third country." Ataturk showed delayed flights up and down its board on Saturday, domestic and international.

Istanbul's major bridges, shut by military during the coup attempt, were reopened this morning, reports The Guardian. "Soldiers were shown on television walking off the Bosphorus Bridge en masse, their arms raised in surrender."

Original story, published Friday, July 15, 6:17 p.m.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has confirmed reports of a coup attempt underway in Turkey, as Istanbul's bridges were shut and video of military jets buzzing Ankara circulated online on Friday evening. The Associated Press reports that Yildirim spoke on the Turkish news channel NTV: “We are focusing on the possibility of an attempt [coup]. There was an illegal act by a group within the military that was acting out of the chain of military command. Our people should know that we will not allow any activity that would harm democracy.”

Traveler has confirmed that Istanbul Ataturk International Airport has been taken over by the military; flights have been halted and military tanks were stationed at the entrance of the airport.

An image from FlightAware, a flight tracking app, showed several planes headed to or circling Ataturk Airport, unable to land.

Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge were both closed, the BBC confirmed, and reports of gunfire and explosions in the capital city of Ankara have been broadcast on local television as well. Turkish television has reported that the Chief of Staff's building and the ruling party's AKP headquarters have been surrounded by the military. Soldiers have been filmed telling people, “It’s a coup. Go home.”

The United States government just confirmed a “potential uprising” in Turkey and urged everyone in the area to “remain vigilant.” A second tweet urged people in Turkey to try SMS or telephone to contact loved ones, as there were reports of social media outages.

Bloomberg News reporter Isobel Finkel has been live tweeting from Istanbul, noting people leaving restaurants in droves.

According to The Guardian, the Turkish armed forces have issued the following statement: “Turkish Armed Forces have completely taken over the administration of the country to reinstate constitutional order, human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and general security that was damaged. All international agreements are still valid. We hope that all of our good relationships with all countries will continue.”

The Turkish lira has been crashing since the news broke, with Bloomberg reporting "the biggest one-day drop against the dollar since October 2008—to close at 3.0157 per dollar, the weakest level since late January."

Turkish journalist Mahir Zeynalov (@MahirZeynalov) has been live tweeting as well, and showed a photograph of Turks in line withdrawing money from ATMs late this evening after reports of the coup.

What to Do When You're Abroad During a Crisis

As we’ve reminded travelers, there are a number of steps to take if you’re abroad during a crisis or attack.

• Search for your nearest U.S. Embassy and their contact details on the official government website and register your future travels via the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, or STEP.

• Use Facebook’s Safety Check feature to quickly inform your friends and family, via the social network, of your safety. Geolocation will pinpoint your proximity to a site of crisis, and your next visit to Facebook will prompt you to “mark yourself safe."

• Visit the U.S. State Department’s Alerts and Warnings website for details and assessments of any new potential threats to foreign tourists resulting from the crisis. The latest from the State Department Twitted feed:

This is a developing story; we will continue to update as we learn more.