Dubai, UAE; 21 December 2016: Turkish Airlines, “Europe’s Best Airline” for six consecutive years according to the recent Skytrax results, and flying to more countries than any other airline, continues to grow by adding new destinations to its consistently expanding network.

With existing services to Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Bogota, Panama, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Boston, San Francisco, Miami and Atlanta Turkish Airlines has just added flights to Havana and Caracas as its 16th and 17th destinations in the Americas.

The inaugural flight from Istanbul got water cannon salutes in both airports with a ceremony graced by Mr. Mehmet Büyükekşi, Member of the Board of Turkish Airlines and the senior bureaucrats both from Republic of Cuba and Republic of Venezuela, in the presence of diplomatic, protocol and media representatives as well as Turkish Airlines’ officials.

Mr. Büyükekşi said; “Our flag carrier assumes Havana and Caracas are essential points in its Latin America expansion and places itself at the forefront to shorten the distances between desiring travelers who will arrive with all kinds of expectations to the biggest Island in the Antilles. The opening of our Havana and Caracas gateways also means that we will now be able to deliver our award-winning services that will make the international travel easier and more convenient for both business and leisure travelers in this area.’’

Also launching with the new destinations, the “Bridging Youth” project, a corporate responsibility initiative by Turkish Airlines, kicked off with a fast start, as four university students from Turkey from varying backgrounds were given free tickets to Havana for a series of cultural activities including guided tours of the city with their Cuban hosts. The visiting youths will share their memorable moments and photographs of their trip on Turkish Airlines’ social media accounts.

Beginning from December 20th, Havana and Caracas flights will be operated 3 times per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays in both directions.

All times are in local time.

Introductory round trip fares are available from Istanbul to Havana – the capital and largest city of Cuba – and to the Caracas -the capital and largest city of Venezuela. To view the flight schedules and fares please visit www.turkishairlines.com, contact the call center at +90 212 444 0849 or visit any Turkish Airlines sales office.

Additionally, for the first 6 months of operation to these new destinations, there is a special offer for Miles&Smiles members, with a 25% reduction in the miles needed to redeem either award tickets or upgrades.*

Flying from Jose Marti International Airport and Simon Bolivar International Airport, the brand new services will also connect passengers departing from Havana and Caracas to 102 worldwide destinations including Paris, London, Madrid, Rome, Moscow, Barcelona, Beirut, Guangzhou, Porto, Frankfurt, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, Zurich, Amsterdam, Munich, Copenhagen, Berlin and Vienna.