Tag Archives: Turkish Airlines

The first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flight will depart from the new home of Turkish Airlines, Istanbul Airport, to Antalya on July 8, and its first international flight will be from Istanbul to Denpasar (Bali) on July 17, one of the new routes to be added to the network for 2019, thereafter from Dubai in September. Following those, it will continue to carry passengers on a number of medium and long-haul exotic routes through the summer. They include routes into London, Dubai, Washington DC, New York, Atlanta, Mexico City, Cancun, Bali, Amsterdam, Delhi, Panama City, and Bogota. By the end of August 2019, six 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft will be operational and servicing international routes, heralding the start of a new chapter in the growth of Turkish Airlines’ young and modern fleet. “Turkish Airlines has been committed to continuously expanding its range of services on and off-ground as it grows in reach and flies to more international destinations than any other carrier in the world. With this goal in mind, we’re thrilled to reach new horizons with the addition of the 787-9 Dreamliner to our fleet flying from our new home, Istanbul Airport,” said İlker Aycı, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines. “The aircraft’s advanced technology, fuel efficiency, and passenger-centric cabin design will all help us remain the first choice for travellers and provide our loyal flyers across the globe with a best-in-class experience for years to come.” “Turkish Airlines’ growth has been remarkable in recent years, both in expanding flight options and supporting Turkey’s aviation industry. We are honoured that Turkish Airlines is embarking on its next chapter of expansion with the 787 Dreamliner,” said Ihssane Mounir, …

Global carrier Turkish Airlines added its 56th destination in Africa, Nigeria’s Port Harcourt with four weekly flights between Istanbul and Port Harcourt. Already flying to Lagos, Kano and Abuja in Nigeria, Turkish Airlines added Port Harcourt to the list, increasing its flight network to 311 destinations. With this launch, the global carrier continues to be the leader as the airline that flies to more destinations than any other airline in Africa. During the press conference in International Port Harcourt Airport held for the inaugural flight, Kerem Sarp, Turkish Airlines Senior Vice President of Sales (2nd Region), said, “By starting our Port Harcourt flights, we added a new milestone to Turkish Airlines’ mission of growth in Africa. With Port Harcourt as our fourth destination in Nigeria, Turkish Airlines continues to be the bridge between cultures. We are happy to add Port Harcourt to our flight network, and enable our passengers  to experience a seamless flight journey with Turkish Airlines privilege.”

Two of the leading airlines Turkish Airlines and LOT Polish Airlines announced the enhancement of their current codeshare agreement with additional destinations both from Turkish Airlines’ and LOT’s flight network. Through this enhanced partnership, Turkish Airlines and LOT will reciprocally add their flight codes on the following  flights in addition to Istanbul-Warsaw, from Warsaw to Krakow, Gdansk, Szczecin, Poznan, Wroclaw, Katowice and Rzeszow. From Istanbul to Ankara, Bahrain, Izmir, Beirut, Adana, Baghdad, Antalya, Dubai, Dalaman, Kuwait, Amman, Budapest, Cairo and Johannesburg. “With the introduction of joint flights on several destinations in Poland, Turkey, Middle East and Africa, passengers would enjoy more travel alternatives through the combined flights. Without a doubt, this agreement will help increase the commercial and tourism ties of our countries,” said Bilal Ekşi, Turkish Airlines’ Deputy Chairman & CEO. Joint flights will offer fast and convenient connections for customers leaving Istanbul, the biggest Turkish city and also an important flight hub in the world, to Warsaw and beyond. “The enhanced partnership with Turkish Airlines will help us not only expand LOT route network and offer many new attractive destinations to our passengers but also improve connectivity and travel experience on existing codeshare routes beyond Istanbul, such as Ankara, Cairo or Amman,” said Rafal Milczarski, CEO & President of the Management Board of LOT Polish Airlines.  

With the completion of ‘Great Move’ to its brand new home base, Istanbul Airport, one of the most significant cornerstones of the Turkish aviation history, Turkish Airlines will open five passenger lounges available for Business Class, Miles & Smiles, Elite Plus & Elite, Star Alliance Gold and Corporate Club passengers. There are currently three lounges open – the Turkish Airlines Business Lounge, Miles & Smiles Lounge and Domestic Lounge. The Exclusive Lounge and Arrival Lounge are planned to open in Summer 2019. The Turkish Airlines Business Lounge has an approximate area of over 60,000 square feet, seats 765 guests and features 13 private suites with showers. Turkish Airlines also designed a 130 square foot museum in here collaborating with the arts and cultural institution, Istanbul Modern. The Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Lounge is also over 60,000 square feet seating 765 guests, and offers 11 private suites with showers and space where guests can rest on comfortable couches, savor delicious and exclusive treats from Turkey along with international cuisine, or enjoy mobile masseur services. A console gaming experience, golf simulators and large children’s play area provide entertainment, while a technology center with 3D glasses and virtual reality is planned. The two lounges also provide meeting rooms, a library and prayer room. The Turkish Airlines Domestic Lounge is accessible through a special entrance gate located outside the terminal so passengers can complete check-in procedures. Lounge amenities include comfortable couches, Turkish cuisine, a large children’s play area, media wall with multiple TV screens and a prayer room. The overall design concept of the Business Class and Miles & Smiles Lounges reflect an Aegean theme, including designs depicting breezes from the Aegean region. …

Successfully completing its “Great Move” process and transferring all of its passenger operations to its new hub, Istanbul Airport, Turkish Airlines now adds Marrakech, the tourist city of Morocco, to its flight network. As the national flag carrier’s first inaugural flight from its new home, Marrakech became Turkish Airlines’ second destination in Morocco while becoming its 308th destination globally. Started from April 15, Istanbul – Marrakech – Istanbul direct flights will be commenced five days of a week as Turkish Airlines reinforces its title of flying to more international destinations than any other airline. The inaugural flight from Istanbul Airport, landed in Marrakech Menara Airport, was welcomed by the customary water cannon salute in a formal ceremony, and was attended by the executives both from the global carrier and Marrakech Menara Airport, and press members as well. Commenting on this inaugural flight, Ahmet Olmuştur, Chief Marketing Officer, Turkish Airlines, stated, “With Istanbul Airport, a new era has begun in global aviation. Our new operation centre offers an important opportunity for us to develop our globally unparalleled flight network performance even further. Thus, we are working on new strategies to capitalise on this opportunity. Marrakech will always hold a special place for us as it is the first destination we added from our new home. We are happy to carry our passengers to this crimson city with our privileged travel experience.” Passengers travelling to Marrakech with the privileged travel experience of Turkish Airlines, will be able to visit various significant locations for cultural tourism while experiencing different activities such as nature and wildlife tours. Istanbul – Marrakech – Istanbul scheduled flight times beginning from April 15, 2019 will include Monday, Wednesday, …

Turkish Airlines and Oman Air have revised the codeshare agreement signed earlier. Under the revised agreement, Turkish Airlines will codeshare on Oman Air operating flights to Salalah while Oman Air will codeshare on Turkish Airlines operating flights to Rome, Copenhagen and Algiers. The codeshare agreement allows guests to benefit from the outstanding products and services offered by both carriers on these routes. Bilal Ekşi, Deputy Chairman and CEO, Turkish Airlines expressed, “Witnessing Oman Air’s direct flights to Istanbul within the scope of our existing codeshare agreement has always pleased us. Now extending this agreement in order to increase the travel opportunities offered for our passengers through our networks made us more delighted. We believe that this codeshare enhancement with Oman Air will exposure further cooperation opportunities for both airlines together with growing relations between our countries.” Abdulaziz Al Raisi, Chief Executive Officer, Oman Air commented, “Oman Air is happy and proud to be associating with Turkish Airlines which is a globally recognized network carrier. It is an ideal partner for Oman Air, which has justifiably attracted a reputation for offering the highest levels of comfort, luxury and outstanding service. As we continue to expand globally, codeshare agreements such as this help us spread our wings to newer destinations and bring us more partners and guests.” Turkish Airlines and Oman Air currently operate one daily flight each on the Muscat-Istanbul route under the reciprocal codeshare agreement. The schedule of these flights are designed to complement each other by allowing same day return trip at Muscat and Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines has announced the launch of direct flights between Sharjah and Istanbul. With existing services from Dubai International Airport and Abu Dhabi International Airport, Turkish Airlines’ new Sharjah route marks its fourth destination into the UAE. Flights from Sharjah International Airport will be operated seven times a week in both directions with the inaugural flight departing on April 5, 2019. Customers can book a ticket from Sharjah to Istanbul for a price as low as 999 AED for Economy and 5,999 AED for Business Class, flights from Sharjah to Europe for prices starting from 1,500 AED, or to the Americas for prices starting from 2,600 AED if the booking is made before March 31, for trips until July 3. All passengers booking a flight from Sharjah International Airport in February with departure in April will earn 1,000 miles for each ticket. The new route bolsters Turkish Airlines’ status as the airline that flies to the most destinations in the world, strengthening its identity as a leading global airline with one of the youngest and most modern fleets in the world. “Our aim with this new route is to meet the rising demand for greater international travel options into and out of Sharjah,” commented Ahmet Olmuştur, Chief Marketing Officer, Turkish Airlines. “The UAE is known for being a travel-hungry part of the world, and now, more customers can capitalise on Turkish Airlines’ unparalleled network of destinations as we continue to explore even more new routes..”

Turkish Airlines’ Miles&Smiles has launched a Frequent-Flyer Programme (FFP) partnership with Azul Brazilian Airlines. The agreement was signed between Ahmet Olmuştur,  Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Turkish Airlines and Alexandre Wagner Malfitani, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Azul Brazilian Airlines. With its principle to provide privileged travel experience with seamless connections, Miles&Smiles expands its partnerships to allow its members to enjoy Miles&Smiles advantages on their flights all over the world. Miles&Smiles members now will be able to earn and redeem miles on flights operated by Azul Brazilian Airlines, as of January 1, 2019. Reciprocally, Azul Brazilian Airlines’ loyalty programme TudoAzul members will also be able to earn and redeem miles on Turkish Airlines’ operated flights. Commenting on the agreement, Ahmet Olmuştur, CMO, Turkish Airlines, said, “We are delighted to expand our partnership with Azul Brazilian Airlines. We have a working codeshare cooperation which was established in December last year. And with this Frequent Flyer Programme partnership, we are glad to achieve a higher level of collaboration with Azul.”

Turkish Airlines has implemented two new projects enabling business class passengers to choose their meals before the flight via “Meal selection before flight” service. With this service, applicable to the several intercontinental destinations departing from Istanbul, business-class passengers can view the meal details and visuals of the main dishes and make their choices on the webpage or mobile application. They can make their choices within the period starting from 1 week before their flight date until the last 48 hours. Turkish Airlines passengers who fly from Istanbul to Atlanta, Bangkok, Beijing, Bogotá, Boston, Cape Town, Chicago, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Havana, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Houston, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles, Manila,  Miami, Montreal, New York, Phuket, Port Louis, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, Toronto, Washington DC, Caracas, Panama City, Madagascar, Durban, Maputo, and Buenos Aires can take advantage of this service. Besides, the airlines’ “Dine on demand service” will be available in all intercontinental night flights departing from and landing on Istanbul.

The UN Migration Agency (IOM) and Turkish Airlines have signed a long-term partnership agreement for the promotion of safe, orderly and regular migration. The deal has been signed between General William Swing, Director IOM and M İlker Aycı, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines. The cooperation will focus on the organisation’s migration application (MigApp), which leverages the widespread use of telecommunications technology to provide practical information about services available to the migrants globally. “The agreement opens a whole range of possibilities for cooperation both in terms of Turkish Airlines’ commitment to social responsibility and our own commitments to migrants and refugees. It will allow us to do a lot in terms of informing migrants, promoting their rights and training to sensitise airline officials to smuggling and trafficking — one of the heinous crimes of our times.” Swing said. Commenting on the partnership, Aycı said, “As the national flag carrier of Turkey, we are glad to strengthen our collaboration with IOM. Through this agreement, we see a way to promote the idea of living together in peace and travelling freely and legally as envisioned under the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.”