Illustrative: A Turkish Airlines flight on the runway at Ben Gurion International Airport, August 3, 2013. (photo credit: Moshe Shai/Flash90)
A Turkish man strayed into the danger zone last month when he accidentally drove his car onto the runway at an Ankara airport after being confused for the country’s president.
The 63-year-old man had landed at the Turkish capital’s Esenboğa Airport, got into a rented black Mercedes and began driving out of the terminal, Hurriyet Daily News reported Thursday.
He made a wrong turn and reached a gate reserved for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. An equally confused police officer at the gate let him through onto the tarmac.
The befuddled driver wheeled onto a runway, forcing air traffic controllers to divert flights. As a precaution, he flipped on his hazard lights.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (photo credit: AFP)
“I initially thought what a beautiful highway it was. Then I realized that it was a runway,” he told airport security after he was detained, blaming his confusion on his diabetes, according to the Hurriyet report. He was later released.
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The police who opened the gate were temporarily suspended while the incident was investigated.
“We thought it was an official car,” they said.
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