Tag Archives: IATA AGM

Speaking on the sidelines of the IATA AGM in Dubai, Ahmet Bolat – Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee Turkish Airlines shared that they received 83 million passengers in 2023 and they expect to welcome 90 million passengers by the end of this year with the momentum at present. There was an increase in passenger numbers from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia last year and they expect the rest of the year to be the same. Bolat also mentioned that there had been an increase of business class passengers over the last year as well in comparison to before and this trend seems to be continuing over the year. In terms of new routes, he reiterated that they added the sixth continent of Australia in 2023, with 3 flights per week and by end of this year they will increase to more cities in Australia. They increased operations in the US as well by adding their 13th destination – Detroit and they will start to Denver by next week. He further shared that within the next ten years they will double their fleet from 450 currently to 800 plus.

At a special press briefing this morning, it was announced that Fiji Airways will now operate as a full partner at oneworld alliance ensuring seamless connectivity. Andre Viljoen, CEO and Managing Director Fiji Airways shared, “I’m extremely proud to announce our full membership in the award winning oneworld alliance. This is a significant step in our commitment to providing unparallel seamless connectivity.”

At the opening session of the special media briefing Kamil Alawadhi – Regional VP – Africa and Middle East shared that the Middle East passenger numbers will double reaching 530 million in 2043 and the traffic will grow at an average annual rate of 3.9% over the 2023 – 2043 period. He reiterated that the Middle East annual growth of 0/1% higher than global growth (3.8%). In his presentation he went on to also explain about blocked funds, harmonized regulations and safety and flight operations. In terms of the blocked funds – $1.8billion in blocked finds globally down from $2.3 billion in April 2023. $1.1 billion in AME down from $1.9 billion in April 2023.