Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Turkey's national flag carrier, Turkish Airlines (THY), expects to add 15 to 20 new destinations in the next three years, the company's executive board director, Candan Karlıtekin, has said.
Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Karlıtekin said THY is looking to extend its service to more destinations and provide Turkish customers access to destinations all around the world. Noting that THY has maintained sustainable growth in the global aviation market over the past few years while increasing its customer base, Karlıtekin said the company expects to tighten its grip on the market. He added that İstanbul's prominent location in international air traffic has also contributed to THY's success.
Karlıtekin noted that THY places a heavy emphasis on modernizing its fleet in addition to training a professional crew. Recalling that cargo transportation declined by 25 percent globally while the number of passengers fell by 15 percent in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2008, the THY official noted that the company has increased its cargo capacity by 16 percent while the number of passengers flying THY jumped by 10 percent in the given period. “We closed the first half with profits, albeit lower than in the same months of 2008. It is normal to see such declines during times of crisis. We expect to increase our profits further in the second half,” he said.
'We will connect Turkey to every corner of the world’
Karlıtekin said the company is determined to expand in global markets and that the executive board will decide on new destinations shortly. “Our main target is to connect Turkey to every single country with THY flights. We will add 12 new planes to our fleet,” he noted. Among the new destinations that Karlıtekin said THY is considering are Congo, Cambodia, Vietnam, Tanzania and Sri Lanka, adding: “We may add two local destinations in China and India each. We are also making plans to fly to Los Angeles and Washington.” He enumerated the expected new destinations in Europe: Bologno in Italy, Glasgow in the UK, Podgorica in Montenegro, Tallinn in Estonia, Bratislava in Slovakia and Vilnius in Latvia. Karlıtekin noted that they plan to commence flights to all these destinations by 2012.
The senior THY official said the company planned to introduce a new class between the economy and business classes, as part of its effort to diversify its services. “We may call it premium or comfort. We are still studying the details,” he said, adding that they will also offer “business plus” service in addition to this new class. Asked whether the company will hire new pilots, he said THY currently has more than 1,500 pilots and that they are considering hiring foreign pilots in the near future. “We do not want to meet our pilot demand from the domestic market. If we do so, most pilots from other carriers will flock to THY. We have a flight academy and expect to hire new crew members from there,” he said, adding that up to 10 percent of THY pilot crews may be foreign after new recruitment efforts.
With regards to plans concerning THY subsidiary Anadolu Jet, which serves only the domestic market, Karlıtekin said they expect to expand the company's fleet to 12 planes.
