Turkish Airlines connects Bologna with Istanbul

On March 1, 2010, Turkish Airlines will inaugurate a daily air service with Istanbul from Bologna the capital city of the Emilia Romagna region in Central Italy. With Rome, Milan, and Venice, Turkish Airlines has positioned itself strategically in four of the major Italian markets, increasing its opportunity to dig into a greater share of both tourism and business travelers available in Bologna and its hinterland with a population of around 14 million. The new air service will also serve the Tuscany region (Florence capital city), which is only an hour away by car or train from Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport, keeping in mind the southern Lombardy (capital city Milan) neighboring minor cities, whose travelers may consider more convenient to travel from Bologna G. Marconi Airport to Istanbul and beyond than from Milan Malpensa Airport.

The new Bologna air link grants to Turkish Airlines the opportunity to fly more Italians to its 34 domestic destinations via Istanbul and beyond to Africa, Middle East, Asia-Far East, and… why not… the USA! With the new air service, Turkish Airlines Italian management aims at increasing its traffic share from Italy, which exceeded 400,000 passengers in 2009.

The event has been celebrated with a lush dinner reception held at the Palazzo Re Enzo, a historical castle-like building positioned in the heart of the Bologna old city center whose original construction dates back to 1245. Honors went to the CEO of Turkish Airlines, Mr. Andy Topcu, accompanied by politicians, representatives from various Turkish regions, and the press – a large delegation of over 50 flown in by the inaugural flight – and to the general manager of Italy, Mr. Ali Doruk, and were made by Ms. Giuseppina Gualtieri, president of SAB, the Airport G.Marconi Airport Handling Company, and Mr. A.Bonolis, traffic development manager.

The 2009 business turnover figures indicate that the Bologna-Turkey export generated 750 million euro, confirmation that Turkey represents a valid destination from this tourism source for Turkish Airlines and is a growing commercial partnership for the Chamber of Commerce of Bologna and its region.

Positioned in the heart of a prosperous area, this region is home to the Ferrari and Lamborghini car factories, the late opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, famed artists and painters such as Vasco Rossi, Zucchero Fornaciari, Morandi, and the major naïf painter Antonio Ligabue. It is also home to the world famous Parmesan cheese, along with ham and many agricultural products. The region of Emilia Romagna also offers many miles of sea resorts along the Adriatic coastline, made known to the world by the late film maker, Federico Fellini, whose memory is strongly tied to the Rimini Grand Hotel, which continues to maintain its historical charm.

Of the same caliber is the Grand Hotel Baglioni in Bologna, one of the Leading Hotels of the World, and just a few minutes from Palazzo Re Enzo. The charm of Hotel Baglioni has won the credit of the world’s business travelers and personalities who have placed it at the 9th position among the best 500 hotels in the world 2009. A further poll conducted by the USA American Express magazin,e Travel & Leisure, ranked the Baglioni Bologna Hotel at the top of the 100 best hotels in the world and in 2010 won the first position of “Best Hotel in Europe,” awaking the interest of the authoritative world’s media and of the Turkish delegation who enjoyed their stay at the Baglioni Hotel Bologna.