MONTREAL, June 5, 2014 /CNW/ – On Tuesday, June 03, 2014, Aéroports de Montréal proudly welcomed the inaugural non-stop Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul Ataturk Airport to Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, at an evening press conference held at the Montreal Airport Marriott In-Terminal Hotel.

The flight carried distinguished guests, including Mr. Ismail Gerçek and Mr. Naci Ağbal, members of the board of Turkish Airlines, along with key members of the Turkish media. Remarks were made at the press conference by James C. Cherry, President and CEO of Aéroports de Montréal; Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan; Turkish Airlines Board Member, Ismail Gerçek; Çağatay Erciyes, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations (UN) International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); and Mr. Tuncay Babali, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Canada.

Montreal has the distinction of being the two hundred and fifty-third destination to which Turkish Airlines now flies. The flight is the first of what will be a regular, non-stop and year-round service, three times weekly, connecting Montreal to the international destinations in 106 countries served by Turkish Airlines, with the intention of expanding the service to daily direct flights.

The new flight further solidifies the developing relationship between Canada and Turkey, continuing to improve trade links between the countries and opening new economic opportunities, with emphasis on the education, information technology, aerospace and transportation sectors.