Are we there yet? Turkish taxi driver faces jail over 'deliberate' detour

An Istanbul taxi driver is facing a jail sentence after being accused of needlessly taking a passenger from one side of the Bosphorus to the other, causing the tourist to miss a flight.

Turkish prosecutors on Wednesday requested a lengthy prison term for the driver, who has rejected allegations "aggravated fraud".

The cabbie is accused of deliberately taking the Saudi tourist from the Asian side of the city to the European side and back again rather than directly to Istanbul's second international airport, state broadcaster TRT Haber said.

Both the Kadikoy district, where the passenger was picked up, and the Sabiha Gokcen airport are on the Asian side of the city and the journey usually takes 30 minutes, depending on traffic.

However the route was extended with several detours, including crossing the city's third bridge across the Bosphorus.

The Saudi tourist missed the flight and filed a legal complaint against the driver, who is accused of abusing the passenger's trust, the channel said.

Preparing an indictment, the prosecutor sought a prison sentence of between three years and 10 years for "aggravated fraud" as the driver overcharged the tourist.

The driver denies the fraud accusations and has claimed the extended route was a mistake.

He will appear in front of a judge in the coming days if the indictment is accepted, TRT Haber reported.