Turkish Forum

Tag: THY

  • Turkish Airlines eager for new Istanbul airport by 2016

    Turkish Airlines eager for new Istanbul airport by 2016

    By Kurt Hofmann

    Turkish Airlines A340-300 at Istanbul. By Rob Finlayson
    Turkish Airlines A340-300 at Istanbul. By Rob Finlayson

    Turkish Airlines (TK) needs a bigger airport and hopes the new Istanbul airport will be built by 2016.

    CEO Temel Kotil told ATW in Istanbul that TK’s hub at Istanbul Ataturk, which handles about 32.9 million passengers per year, is too small and has hindered the carrier’s growth strategy.

    Kotil said TK already occupies “75% of the airport capacity” but it also wants to other carriers to be there.

    “Experts say in five years from now the new airport will be ready,” said Kotil, who noted the final location will be selected soon and construction is likely to begin by year end.

    The new airport should handle up to 120 million passengers and have five runways. It will be 6,000 hectares (14,826 acres), six times bigger than the current Ataturk airport, Kotil said.

    The growth of the new airport will be “more important for Turkey’s future than for the growth of the airline, but it will push us to develop faster,” Kotil said.

    Istanbul’s second airport, Sabiha Gokcen, served 11.6 million passengers in 2010, according to the Arthur D. Little World Airport Report.

    Kotil said TK’s hub is perfectly positioned globally and is a “goldmine” for the carrier. He said TK generates “$6 billion from international passenger business, but “we can grow this up to $40 billion.” International transfer passengers at IST should increase to 20 million, up from 5.6 million, by 2016, Kotil said, noting that TK’s international passengers should reach 50 million.

    TK operates 175 aircraft and transports 29.1 million passengers.

    via Turkish Airlines eager for new Istanbul airport by 2016 | ATWOnline.

  • UK airline sees profit in flights over Turkish sky

    UK airline sees profit in flights over Turkish sky

    ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

    British Airlines is seeking ways to benefit from the transit flights business via Istanbul, a model that is boosting the growth of domestic Turkish Airlines

    British Airlines is offering tickets for 65 pounds for Turkish passengers to UK to mark its 65th year in Turkey, says Gavin Halliday.
    British Airlines is offering tickets for 65 pounds for Turkish passengers to UK to mark its 65th year in Turkey, says Gavin Halliday.

    The increasing number of transit airway passengers via Turkey, a key element in the rapid growth of national carrier Turkish Airlines, has also whet the appetite of British Airways, which is seeking a larger share in the market.

    Istanbul has become an important connecting hub in its region, a top executive of British Airways said during an Oct. 14 meeting in Istanbul.

    “Not only has the number of people visiting Turkey increased, the number of transit passengers has reached a great number in recent years,” said Gavin Halliday, general manager for the company’s Europe and Africa operations, during a press conference.

    The official data of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) verifies Halliday’s statements. The total number of the transit passengers arriving Istanbul reached 18 million last year, and the city ranks top in hosting transit passengers on the Asia-Europe corridor.

    Frankfurt came second with 11 million passengers in the same period, followed by Cairo with 8 million, according to the data.

    At the meeting to mark British Airways’ 65th year in Turkey, Halliday said, “The international routes and the passengers preferences are a change we aim to serve with the best quality for them.”

    Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport, one of the two in the city, ranked as the eighth busiest airport in the world, reaching 31.14 million travelers by the end of last year. It followed London Heathrow, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Frankfurt, Spain’s Barajas, Amsterdam, Leonardo Da Vinci and Munich airports, according to Turkey’s General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ).

    The total number of international passengers arriving to Turkey has reached 47 million, breaking another record by 13.4 percent as of the end of September this year compared with the first nine months of 2010, according to DHMI.

    Turkish Airlines, which benefits most from transit traffic in the region, expects to handle 35 million passengers in 2011, according to Chief Executive Temel Kotil.

    Cheap tickets

    To celebrate the 65th anniversary, British Airways is offering a discount price of 65 pounds for Turkish passengers to London if they buy tickets between Oct. 17 and 23. Passengers will be able to use the ticket between October 2011 and March 31, 2012.

    Operating 21 weekly roundtrip flights between Istanbul and London, British Airways carried approximately 64,000 passengers on the route as of the end of last year.

    Halliday said the company was ready to invest nearly 5 billion pounds next year to modernize aircraft, upgrade technology and interior decor, and increase entertainment and catering services.

    via UK airline sees profit in flights over Turkish sky – Hurriyet Daily News.

  • Turkish Airlines Becomes First to Fly Commercial Flight to Tripoli

    Turkish Airlines Becomes First to Fly Commercial Flight to Tripoli

    A Turkish Airlines passenger plane landed in Tripoli Saturday noon to become the first international commercial flight to arrive in the Libyan capital since the establishment of a no-fly zone in war-torn Libya in March, a Libyan aviation official said.

    newsresizedetails.aspThe flight from Istanbul, with 43 passengers on board, arrived at the Maitiga International Airport in eastern Tripoli, at about 11:50 local time, he said.

    A crew member of the Boeing 737-800 who identified himself as Ahmed, said that Turkish flights to Libya had been suspended since February 28 as Libya gradually sank into domestic chaos,.

    He went on to say that after the resumption of the route,there will be flights between Istanbul and Tripoli every four days, adding that daily flights might be possible at the end of October.

    Turkish Airlines had already resumed flights from Istanbul to Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city, on September 13.

    In March, the UN Security Council passed a resolution imposing a “no-fly zone” over Libya aimed at protecting civilians from air assaults by the deposed former Libyan leader Muammar Al Qathafi, halting all international commercial flights from and to the Libyan capital.

    More airlines are expected to follow the Turkish Airlines’ example in the coming days and resume flights to Libya, but flights will return to normal when Tripoli International Airport is functioning again. Alitalia has already announced it would resume service on November 7, when the Tripoli airport is expected to be cleared.

    via Turkish Airlines Becomes First to Fly Commercial Flight to Tripoli.

  • Thessaloniki Mayor Boutaris Meets with Manager of Turkish Airlines

    Thessaloniki Mayor Boutaris Meets with Manager of Turkish Airlines

    Manager of Turkish Airlines, Utku Yazan, had a meeting with the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Mr. Boutaris, in the City Hall. His purpose was to thank the mayor of Thessaloniki for his support during the first three months of the operation of the direct airline Thessaloniki – Konstantinoupolis.

    The two men discussed issues of THY flights from Thessaloniki to Istanbul, but also matters of general interest concerning the economic and social situation in Thessaloniki.

    The Turkish Airlines have a special interest for the city of Thessaloniki, considering that it will contribute greatly to the overall service of Greek passengers to and from Turkey.

    via Thessaloniki Mayor Boutaris Meets with Manager of Turkish Airlines | Greece.GreekReporter.com Latest News from Greece.

  • Turkish Airlines starts Basra flights

    Turkish Airlines starts Basra flights

    turkTurkish Airlines, the country’s national carrier, has started nonstop flights to Iraqi city of Basra from its hub in Istanbul Ataturk Airport. This is the airline’s third destination in Iraq after Baghdad and Arbil.

    The debut flight (TK798), a Boeing 737/800, took off at 7am on Tuesday from Istanbul airport to the Iraqi city.

    The Star Alliance member airline said it will fly twice a week – on Thursdays, and Saturdays. Also there is a plan to operate a third flight via Necef from July 5.

    The Basra flight will take off from Istanbul at 3.10am and land in the Iraqi city at 6.25am, while on return the flight will depart Basrah at 8:50am and land in Istanbul at 12:15pm.

    Also on Tuesday, the Turkish carrier started three weekly flights – Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays- to Italian city of Naples.

    Naples flight will take off from Istanbul at 10:30am and arrive in the Italian city at 11:55am, while on return the flight will leave Naples at 12.55pm and land in Istanbul Ataturk Airport at 4.10pm.

    The airline is also planning to boost the frequency with two more flights on Wednesdays and Sundays from August 2.

    The ticket rates for a Basra two-way trip have been priced at 275 euros ($388), while the Naples fare starts from 180 euros including taxes and fees for travels starting before August 31.

    Established in 1933 with a fleet of only five airplanes, Turkish Airlines is today a four-star airline company with a fleet of 169 aircraft flying to 182 destinations comprising 41 domestic and 141 international destinations.-TradeArabia News Service

    via Turkish Airlines starts Basra flights.

  • Turkish Airlines And Mauritius Make Announcements New flights to Africa destinations

    Turkish Airlines And Mauritius Make Announcements New flights to Africa destinations

    By Wolfgang H. Thome, eTN | Jun 26, 2011

    (eTN) – News was received from Turkish Airlines and Mauritius regarding the addition of new flights to Africa destinations.

    TURKISH AIRLINES SET FOR KIGALI

    Image via asia.com
    Image via asia.com

    Information was received from Kigali that Turkish Airlines appears set to commence direct flights between Istanbul and Kigali, Rwanda, although the exact routing could not be confirmed immediately. The new connection will add yet more seats to the country, which has been busy promoting its tourism and investment opportunities around the world, and with Turkish, a member of the world’s leading airline alliance, “Star,” an emerging global player is coming to Kigali, offering a growing network of connections to many key global cities in Europe, Eastern Europe, the Americas, the Gulf, Asia, and beyond.

    Turkish already connects 14 cities in Africa with Istanbul, and the choice of Rwanda’s capital Kigali also speaks for the country itself, now considered as a rising star on the continent and a choice destination for tourists and business visitors alike.

    MAURITIUS TO LOOSEN STRINGS FOR NEW FLIGHTS

    Clearly stung by the success of the Seychelles, where conscientious policy decisions have in recent years led to global success in making the holiday destination “visible” through reorganizing its tourist board, rebranding the entire destination into “Brand Seychelles” and working hand in hand with global airline giants, has Mauritius finally shown signs of waking up to the new market realities. Their previous “big brother status” among the Indian Ocean islands, aka Vanilla Islands, has in the recent past come under siege, and the fall out of the global financial and economic crisis of 2007/8 seems to have been lingering longer on Mauritius than would have ordinarily been expected.

    Seemingly driven to a large degree by the country’s hospitality industry, which is grappling with continued less-than-expected occupancy levels, the government in Port Louis has finally agreed to look into their hitherto restrictive aviation policies with the aim of permitting more flights during periods when demand reaches peak levels so that seats on aircraft finally start to match the grown bed capacity from new resorts, which have sprung up across the island’s beaches.

    However, airlines will consider this only as a starting point, aiming at year round greater access to the island and as it suits them even fifth freedom rights to fly via Mauritius on to key destinations on the African continent. The government in Mauritius, a majority shareholder in Air Mauritius, has always been fiercely protective of “their own,” but as the airline is only now starting to re-enter the profit zone after major losses in past financial years, aviation strategists are keenly watching how “the owners,” i.e., government, will react to the emerging demands by the hospitality private sector for greater access by other airlines vis-a-vis their otherwise “protective mode” towards their national airline.

    via Turkish Airlines And Mauritius Make Announcements New flights to Africa destinations – eTurboNews.com.