23.12.2014

Milliyet – Turkey’s flag carrier, the Turkish Airlines (THY) now flies to 264 destinations in a total of 108 countries in Europe, Far East, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East, according to Hamdi Topcu, the company’s Chairman.

In an interview given to a Turkish daily, Topcu assessed THY’s 2014 performance and laid out new year targets, stating that the airline company was planning to add wide body, double-deck aircraft that would significantly increase the number of long distance routes.

“Wide body aircrafts are expected to enter service with the third airport of Istanbul”, said THY Chairman. Once it reaches the fully operational status by 2018, Istanbul’s third airport will be one of the largest in the world in terms of passenger capacity, underscoring Istanbul’s growing reputation as a global hub for air travel.

Topcu said that the carrier was planning to invest in new brand awareness campaigns in 2015, while expanding its flight network. “On a solid financial structure, we will go on profitably growing at annual rates of 15-20 percent until 2018”, he noted.

Award-winning THY carried 50.4 million in the January-November period of this year, up 13.3 percent over the same period of 2013. The airline holds the record in the number of countries flown and comes second in Europe in terms of passenger numbers.