Turkish Airlines’ Middle East passenger traffic up 26 percent

Turkish Airlines has seen a 30% growth in passenger traffic in Qatar in 2013 compared with the year before, the airline said yesterday.

The national carrier of Turkey has registered nearly 26% growth in passenger traffic from the Middle East in 2013 compared to 2012, the airline said in a statement yesterday.

The airline recorded a 22% growth in passenger traffic in Dubai; 43% in Abu Dhabi; and 35% in Kuwait, in 2013, compared with the same period in 2012.

The Turkish national carrier said it eyes significant growth from the region this year.

Already in the first three months of 2014, Turkish Airlines recorded an increase in passenger figures from the Middle East at 19.6% compared to the same period in 2013. Last year, Turkish Airlines was the airline of choice for over 3.7mn passengers from the Middle East region.

Adem Ceylan, Turkish Airlines vice-president (Marketing & Sales) in Middle East & Cyprus, said, “The Middle East has undoubtedly underlined its credentials as one of the fastest growing aviation and tourist hubs. With a stronger focus on the region, we will continue to play a key role in connecting passengers seamlessly with the rest of the world, while serving as a true partner to Turkey’s burgeoning economy.”

Globally, the airline recorded 48.3mn passengers in 2013, a 23% increase, compared to 39mn in 2012. This year, the airline projects passenger traffic to be about 60mn, which will represent a 25% growth over the previous year.

This will be further supported by the increase in number of aircraft, currently at 247, and expected to reach 263 by the end of the year.

Some 17 new destinations, including Abha (Saudi Arabia) and Ahvaz (Iran) in the Middle East are being planned in the coming months taking the total number of new destinations in 2014 to 20.

Turkish Airlines offers more flights to the Middle East from Europe than any other airline, covering some 14 countries and 34 destinations in the region.

In addition to increasing its market share to 12.8% among European carriers, the passenger load factor saw an increase of 1.4 points, bringing it to an all-time high of 79%.

The Turkish airline will play a key role in underlining its growing interest as the ‘carrier of choice’ for passengers from the Middle East at ATM, with the launch of its new campaign under the theme, ‘Widen your world.’

In line with the vision to make Istanbul a global aviation hub, Turkish Airlines will continue to extend its network, increase its market share across all regions and continue to contribute to Turkey’s development.

Most recently, Turkish Airlines and Boeing celebrated the carrier’s 75th direct delivery of the Next-Generation 737, where the 737-800 marked its arrival at the Istanbul Ataturk Airport, and the latest addition to the airline’s growing fleet of over 100 Boeing airplanes.

Turkish Airlines flies to more countries than any other airline in the world with a total of 247 destinations, comprising of 205 international and 42 domestic destinations, in 106 countries with a total of 247 aircraft.