Freedom Town, Kuwait, April 14, 2014: Jazeera Airways today announced it will begin serving Istanbul through the city’s primary airport, Istanbul Atatürk Airport (IST), with five flights a week starting from May 2nd, 2014 instead of the Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW), to which the airline has served since 2008.

The move to Istanbul Atatürk Airport bolsters the airline’s Istanbul service by enabling it to offer travelers better flight schedules to an airport that is at the heart of the city.

The airline will increase the number of return flights to the touristic Turkish city from three return flights a week to five return flights a week.

Jazeera Airways Vice President of Industry Affairs, Bader Al-Mershed, said, “This is great news for travelers. Since we started serving Istanbul through Sabiha Gökçen International Airport in 2008, Istanbul has become a favorite vacation and business destination for travels from Kuwait and the region.”

The increase in touristic travel between the two countries has contributed largely to the yearly double digits growth in number of passengers since 2008. In 2013, number of passengers between Kuwait and Istanbul increased by 51% from 2012.

Passenger traffic between Kuwait and Istanbul has increased by 419% between 2008 and 2013.

The airline’s new schedule serves Istanbul with a return flight every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.