APRIL 26TH, 2016

Turkish Airlines set to achieve USD 12.2 billion in sales for 2016

• Number of passengers expected to rise to 72.4 million
• In Q1 2016, capacity in GCC increased by 16 per cent and in Mıddle East by 18 per cent
• 25 new aircraft to join the existing fleet of Turkish Airlines

Dubai, UAE; 26 April 2016: Turkish Airlines, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, is set to achieve a sales target of USD 12.2 billion in 2016, with an overall capacity increase of 16 per cent over last year, said Ahmet Olmuştur,Turkish Airline’s Chief Marketing Officer, at the Arabian Travel Market being held at Dubai International Convention Centre until April 28.

Referring to the Middle East, Olmuştur also stated that the first quarter this year saw an increase in capacity by 16 percent in the GCC markets and 18 per cent in the Middle East countries as travellers from the region looked at 24 new routes that were added last year to the Turkish Airlines network of 285 destinations.

Addressing a press conference at ATM, Olmuştur said: “I am pleased to announce that we are one of the most preferred airline in the world and one of the few to have registered substantial profits. With growing market presence and phenomenal customer uptake, we plan to increase our capacity this year by offering more flights, destinations and increased frequencies to our growing loyal customer base.

“We have witnessed growth in the GCC and the Middle East last year has been very good, as we ramp up utilisation and add new aircraft to our fleet. Our capacity increase in the GCC was mainly driven by growth from Oman and the UAE.

“We are excited about our expansion plans as we aim to increase our existing market share of 2 percent in the global aviation industry to 5 percent by 2023,” he further added.

As part of the expansion plans and by the end of 2016, the airline will be inducting 25 new planes including B777-3ERs, A330-300s, A321s, B737-800s and Cargo A330-200Fs, to its existing fleet, which would take its total to 336 aircraft.

Turkish Airlines is also expanding its route network in 2016, starting May, with Atlanta, its ninth destination in the USA, and Bogota and Panama, to further reach into Latin America and to Dubrovnik in Croatia. The airline will also start flying directly to Hanoi in June 2016.

The airline has a very strong GCC presence with many of these flights originating from destinations that are becoming increasingly popular. Turkish Airlines has 482 weekly flights from the Middle East. Of these, 193 weekly flights are from the GCC.

Globally, the number of passengers is projected to rise to 72.4 million, up from 61.2 million last year consisting of 31.6 million domestic and 40.8 million international travellers. The airline is also expecting to grow to 186 billion seat kilometres in 2016.

“Turkish Airlines has been actively associated with sports,” remarked Olmuştur, referring to the many global sponsorships of sporting legends and events.

Unveiling the latest TV commercial as the ‘Official Airline Partner’ of the biggest soccer event in Europe, the 2016 UEFA European Championship which will be held from June 10 to July 10 in France, Olmuştur continued, “As Europe’s best airline, it is but natural that we be associated with the best form of European football.”