MORE COUNTRIES AND MORE DESTINATIONS
It seems that not a day goes by when Turkish Airlines announces something new. Today is no exception, with Turkish announcing a new route; to its 120th country and 296th destination.
It’s not a route that immediately comes to mind (it is Conakry, the capital of the West African state of Guinea). However, it cements Turkish Airlines position as the leading carrier in Africa.
The Conakry flight is Turkish 51st route in the continent; all served from its Istanbul mega-base. The exotic island of Zanzibar, (just off the coast of Tanzania) was a new addition in December. Currently Turkish serves Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Entebbe in Uganda, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Addis Ababa amongst an ever growing list.
EUROPE AND THE AMERICAS TOO
The range of destinations is pretty amazing; with the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca recently joining this long list as well (in addition to Bucharest and Constanta).
Across the world in the Americas, 20th December was another red letter day with the inauguration of flights to Havana and Caracas (making it a grand total of 17 destinations).
Existing services in North America include Boston, New York, Chicago, L.A., Miami, Atlanta, Montreal, and Toronto.
Whatever else is the case, Turkish Airlines has, without a doubt, acquired a winning formula; based on great customer care, competitive prices and a super onboard experience.
THE AWARDS FOLLOW
For six consecutive years, Turkish has won ‘Best Airline in Europe.’ But it also managed to collect ‘Best Airline in Southern Europe,’ ‘Best Business Class Dining Lounge’ and ‘Best Business Class onboard catering’ (Skytrax World Airline Awards). These are the industry ‘Oscars’ and are the results of over a million questionnaires issued at over 550 airports across the globe. High praise indeed.
Industry insiders are left wondering what Turkish Airlines are planning next ?.
In 2003 Turkish had just 55 aircraft, now it has over 300. Considerable effort is being made with corporate clients particularly in the U.S.A (the target is that the current 8% corporate client rate should rise to 20%), and a new airport is being built in Northwest Istanbul which will have a 90 million passenger capacity compared to Istanbul Ataturk’s current 55 million. By 2024 the capacity will be 150 million, making Istanbul the biggest airport in the world (sharing that position with Dubai). Investment is also being made in extra sales staff and new aeroplanes. The cooperation of the Turkish government as a development partner cannot be underestimated.
