Tag Archives: Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines and Airbus signed an MOU to acquire 20+5 optional A350-900 aircraft. The agreement was signed at the Élysée Palace, Paris, during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s official visit to France with French President Emmanuel Macron. “With Turkish Airlines serving more destinations than any other airline around the world, we will be delighted to rely on our new A350 XWB to further develop our major international routes from Turkey.” said M. İlker Aycı, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines. Aycı went on to say, “This agreement is set to play a key role in our growing business in the years to come as the increased business volume for the local Turkish supplier industry by Airbus will be a great gain for the sector.” The A350 XWB is an all new family of mid-size wide-body long-haul airliners shaping the future of air travel. It features the latest aerodynamic design, carbon fiber fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient engines. These latest technologies translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency, with a 25 per cent reduction in fuel emissions, and significantly lower maintenance costs.

As the new year dawned, Turkish Airlines has introduced a brand new line-up of inflight toys for the young travellers onboard. As from January 2018, the airline will completely revamp its selection of inflight toys now made from natural materials. The stuffed toys are created from cotton and the wooden parts are manufactured according to the sustainability rules set by the Forest Stewardship Council. This is in line with the airline’s recognition of the harmful effects of plastic on both children and the environment. The airline is committed to ensuring that every aspect of its operation is consistent with its goal of sustainable development. The new toys provide children aged between 3 and 12 with additional inflight entertainment while simultaneously introducing them to the concept of endangered species. Through play, Turkish Airlines, in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund of Turkey, hopes to instill an appreciation of animal protection among children—those who will inherit the world and will be responsible for its care. The global carrier has worked with the toy industry to develop items that promote sustainability while simultaneously increasing wildlife awareness for its youngest guests.

Royal Jordanian (RJ) expanded its codeshare agreements with Turkish Airlines and Malaysia Airlines, giving its guests the option to travel to more destinations with competitive fares and more convenience. The expansion of the codeshare agreement with Turkish Airlines, which has been in place since 2015, added three new cities to RJ passengers’ list of potential destinations- Milan, Sofia and Sarajevo, which are sold in connection with RJ’s Amman-Istanbul flights. The codeshare expansion agreement with Malaysia Airlines, signed in 2010, gives RJ passengers access to four new destinations- Langkawi, Penang, Sydney and Melbourne, all sold in connection with RJ’s Kuala Lumpur flight. RJ has 15 codeshare agreements with global airlines, including with one world carriers and with international airlines. Stefan Pichler, President/CEO, Royal Jordanian said, “Codeshare agreements with global airlines are in line with RJ’s turnaround plan and endeavour to offer an improved passenger experience and enhance competitiveness at regional and global levels.” “Having flexible connections will no doubt increase traffic on RJ’s network,” he said, assuring that RJ will continue to partner with other airlines, through various commercial activities.

Turkish Airlines offers an exclusive private transfer service for Business Class passengers who purchase flexible return tickets between select markets. Passengers flying from Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Dhaka, Doha, Dubai, Cairo, Karachi, Kuwait City, Lahore, Islamabad, Mumbai, Tehran, Tel Aviv to USA and Canada or the return itinerary can benefit from the exclusive drive service. “Turkish Airlines always strives to enhance the overall experience of our passengers and continuously looks to improve upon its already impressive products and services. The exclusive programme will be a great addition to the services available to our valued Business Class passengers, who have helped us earn the top spot in the categories of “World’s Best Business Class Lounge”, “Best Business Class Onboard Catering” and “Best Business Class Dining Lounge” within the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2017,” said Ahmet Olmuştur, Chief Marketing Officer, Turkish Airlines.

With the launch of the fifth ACE of MICE exhibition by Turkish Airlines in Turkey, the third largest congress, meeting and events exhibition in the world from February 21-23, 2018, Istanbul will once again become the focus of the international MICE industry. The event will be held at Istanbul Congress Center with the motto of previous year ‘MICE industry convenes with all of its colours!’ Held every year by the Tourism Media Group organisation, the exhibition will see 746 hosted buyers from 39 countries flock to the city. Over 9,791 business to business (B2B) meetings have been arranged, along with 220 national and international exhibitors, 19 sessions, 35 speakers, 160 sponsors at the event. Over 15,000 domestic and foreign visitors are expected to witness the event. According to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Turkey is among the top ten of the world’s meeting destinations. The country ranks 18th globally as a growing destination for MICE tourism. Turkey is exceptionally well positioned as a destination for the MICE industry, both in terms of trade and culture.

Turkish Airlines introduced a new programme ‘Istanbul Bosphorus Experience’, especially designed for its Business Class passengers who have a transfer time of seven or more hours in Istanbul. The aim was to enable its transfer passengers to closely experience the beauty of Istanbul and the Bosphorus, before continuing their trip to their target destination. “We always strive to offer our passengers the best flight experience possible – on board and on the ground. With the addition of the Istanbul Bosphorus Experience, we continue to improve our wide range of activities and services including our worldwide known ‘Turkish Airlines Lounge Istanbul’, which earned the top spot in the category ‘World’s Best Business Class Lounge’ within the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2017, or our innovative Miniport service, etc. Passengers can now discover and enjoy the cultural facets of Istanbul at first hand. Besides further diversifying our unmatched offerings to passengers with this service, we can also indirectly contribute to the Turkish tourism economy,” said Ahmet Olmuştur, Chief Marketing Officer, Turkish Airlines.

Effective from November 1, 2017, Gulf Air and Turkish Airlines signed a codeshare agreement to expand travel opportunities for the passengers of both airlines with daily flights between Bahrain and Istanbul. The signing ceremony took place at Turkish Airlines’ Istanbul headquarters. Gulf Air’s Captain Waleed Abdul Hameed Al Alawi and Turkish Airlines’ Deputy Chairman and CEO, Bilal Ekşi signed the agreement together in the presence of senior officials from both airlines. This new agreement will be applied to the flights operated by both carriers to Manama and Istanbul, broadening the commercial partnership between the two companies and their respective countries while providing passengers with more travel options. Gulf Air and Turkish Airlines has one daily flight each between Bahrain and Istanbul.

The Turkish Airlines Corporate Club Conference, hosted by Turkish Airlines in partnership with the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), took place in Istanbul from September 25-26 at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel. The event welcomed over 500 international guests to network and enjoy true Turkish hospitality while learning about the latest offerings and key benefits of the Turkish Airlines Corporate Club. The conference presented global trends in the business travel segment, as well as highlighted the latest developments in the aviation industry. This year the theme was ‘Traveler Centricity’. Hundreds of decision makers and key players from the global business travel community are in Istanbul for a line-up of distinguished speakers as well as to learn how Turkish Airlines Corporate Club can add more value to their business. Attendees were welcomed by Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines, M. İlker Aycı and keynote speaker Ron Kaufman who kicked off the one-day event. Panel speakers included Arda Ermut, President of the Investment Support and Promotion Agency, Serra Akçaoğlu, CEO and Board Member of Citibank Turkey and Tankut Turnaoğlu, Vice President & General Manager of P&G Turkey & Caucasus. Commenting on the conference, Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines, M. İlker Aycı said, “We are thrilled to welcome hundreds of high-ranking professionals and business travel leaders from all over the world to Istanbul for this unique event. Turkish Airlines Corporate Club Conference provides a great opportunity to learn the numerous advantages our renewed corporate travel program that offers to its members the latest trends in the business travel industry.”

The airline with the largest network in the world, Turkish Airlines, has recently collaborated with Dr Mehmet Oz, the producer and host of ‘The Dr. Oz Show’, on its ‘Fly Good Feel Good’ project, to provide not only a comfortable but also a healthy travel experience to its passengers. Dr Oz would give advice to the passengers on healthy eating habits and exercises, through short videos that would be available on the Turkish Airlines official website, social media and in-flight entertainment systems. His advice will also be printed in newspapers to extend its reach to maximum number of people. “Making our passengers’ flight experience more comfortable and enjoyable by continuously improving our brand experience is one of our top priorities,” said M. Ilker Ayci, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines. How a person feels is just as important for us as our award-winning service quality.”

Turkish Airlines added Phuket as the 300th destination in their global network. The inaugural flight from Istanbul was welcomed by the customary water cannon salute in a formal ceremony at Phuket International Airport. Deputy Chairman and CEO of Turkish Airlines, Bilal Eksi, commented at the launch ceremony, “Turkish Airlines is excited to be bringing more value and connectivity to its passengers through its ever expanding network. As an award-winning airline that invites people to explore the beauties of our world, it was a natural choice for us to decide on Phuket as our next destination.” Introductory round trip fares for the Istanbul to Phuket flight, which has been launched on July 17, 2017, starts from $569 (including taxes and fees).  Direct flights from Istanbul to Phuket will be operated four times a week, on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. With Turkish Airlines launching flights to Phuket, Turkish Cargo has also launched freighter flights to the island.