Turkish Airlines Jan passenger numbers up 21.9 pct

Turkey's flag-carrier Turkish Airlines' said on Monday that passenger numbers in January rose 21.9 percent to 2.6 million from 2.1 million a year ago.

Load factor in the same period was 72.1 percent, up 4.9 percentage points from January 2011, Turkish Airlines said in a statement to the Istanbul Stock Exchange.

Shares in Turkish Airlines were up 3.41 percent to 2.73 lira, outperforming the Istanbul bourse which traded 1.22 percent higher at 0927 GMT.

Turkish airlines to launch flights to Argentina

Turkish Airlines (THY) will launch flights to Buenos Aires, Argentina in June, the director general said on Saturday.

Temel Kotil said THY would operate Sao Paulo-connected Istanbul-Buenos Aires flights in June.

"We plan to operate four flights a week first, and we can also carry passengers from Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires," Kotil told reporters after meeting Argentine Tourism Minister Carlos Enrique Meyer in Istanbul.

Meyer is visiting Istanbul for the 16th East Mediterranean International Travel and Tourism Exhibition (EMITT).

"We aim to operate flights to Bueno Aires every day if slot restrictions at the Sao Paulo airport are lifted," Kotil also said.

Meyer said 6 million Argentine people travelled abroad last year.

THY carried 32.6 million passengers in January-December, 2011. The number of THY passengers was up 12.1 percent from 29.1 million in January-December 2010 to 32.6 million in January-December 2011.

Turkish Airlines also increased the cargo it carried 23.7 percent from 313,517 tons to 387,703 tons in the mentioned period.

THY is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey, headquartered in Istanbul. It operates scheduled services to 146 international and 41 domestic cities (38 domestic airports), serving a total of 187 airports, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Turkish Airlines cancels 70 flights over bad weather

Turkey's national air carrier, Turkish Airlines (THY), has cancelled 70 flights on Wednesday due to bad weather conditions.

Turkey's national air carrier, Turkish Airlines (THY), has cancelled 70 flights on Wednesday due to bad weather conditions.
Among THY's cancelled flights from Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport were those to Tel Aviv, Paris, Venice, Geneva, Madrid, Basel, Kiev, Tirana, Zagreb, Helsinki, Nice, Cairo, Naples, Hamburg, Tbilisi, Amsterdam and Ashkabat.
Some of THY's flights to Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Adana, Kayseri and Gaziantep were also cancelled on Wednesday.
THY's flights between Trabzon-Istanbul, Diyarbakir-Ankara and Malatya-Ankara will not take place on Wednesday due to bad weather.

TAM Airlines and Turkish Airlines sign codeshare agreement

São Paulo, Brazil - TAM Airlines and Turkish Airlines, both members of the Star Alliance, have entered into a codeshare agreement that once in operation will increase the destinations on offer for their respective clients who travel from or to South America and Europe. With the bilateral agreement, each of the airlines can sell seats on certain designated flights operated by the partnership.

Initially TAM customers can purchase tickets for Istanbul directly from TAM. Turkish Airline clients, on the other hand, will be able to book flights operated by TAM to Brazilian destinations such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Porto Alegre and Foz do Iguaçu; and also to Buenos Aires in Argentina.

The destinations will be available for booking and purchase on the companies’ respective websites following the final approval of the aviation authorities in Brazil and Turkey. Currently, TAM’s own network offers 43 destinations in Brazil and 19 in Latin America, Europe and the United States – in addition the airline offers a further 92 international destinations through codeshare agreements.

When the codeshare agreement goes into effect, the partnership will allow TAM customers to travel directly between São Paulo and Istanbul on a flight operated by Turkish Airlines. In addition, it will also be possible to travel to-and-from Istanbul and São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, via London. Another option will be the route between São Paulo and Istanbul, via Madrid.

Turkish Airlines begins Gatwick to Istanbul flights

People planning to catch flights to Istanbul from south-east England now have an additional travel option following the launch of a new Turkish Airlines service from London Gatwick.

The carrier introduced the route last month and is offering daily connections to Turkey's largest city from the UK base.

Airbus 321-200 aircraft are being used to operate the flights, providing capacity for 195 passengers in a two-class cabin layout.

To mark the beginning of the new service, former Manchester United players Bryan Robson and Dennis Irwin made guest appearances at the London airport, reflecting Turkish Airlines' sponsorship of the football club.

Chief commercial officer Guy Stephenson said Gatwick was excited that the award-winning carrier had decided to expand its capacity from the base.

He added: 'Passengers will not only be able to enjoy the rich history of this magical city but also connect onto Turkish Airlines' unrivalled connections in the Middle East and extensive network in Asia.'

Gatwick has announced an ambition to become London's airport of choice and currently hosts services operated by the likes of Air China, Lufthansa and Air Berlin.

Turkish Airlines, Thai Airways sign codeshare agreement

Under the deal, both airline companies will be able to sell tickets for their flights without having a seat limit.

Turkish Airlines (THY) and Thai Airways signed a codeshare agreement on Monday.

Under the deal, both airline companies will be able to sell tickets for their flights without having a seat limit.

Also, THY will make sale under the code "TK" for the flights to Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Sidney, Auckland and Kuala Lumpur.

A codeshare agreement is an aviation business arrangement where two or more airlines share the same flight. A seat can be purchased on one airline but is actually operated by a cooperating airline under a different flight number or code. The term "code" refers to the identifier used in flight schedule, generally the two-character IATA airline designator code and flight number.

Turkish Airlines is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey, headquartered in Istanbul. It operates scheduled services to 146 international and 41 domestic cities (38 domestic airports), serving a total of 187 airports, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

It carried 30 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2011.

Turkish & TAM Airlines Entered into Code Share

Turkish Airlines and TAM S.A (TAM) and recently entered into a codeshare (flight sharing) agreement which increases the options of destination for their customers willing to fly between South America and Europe. With this bilateral agreement, both members of Star Alliance are now in a position to commercialize seats in certain flights operated by the partnership.

Once effective, the partnership will allow the TAM customer to travel directly between São Paulo and Istanbul in a Turkish Airlines flight. In addition, boarders will now be able to travel via London from and to Istanbul, the biggest city of Turkey; as well as from São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. Another route network between the Paulista capital and Istanbul via Madrid appears as a candid option for flight operation for both the companies.

Initially, the TAM customer used to buy air tickets for Istanbul, directly from the Brazilian company. With this flight sharing accord, TAM will allow the Turkish passengers to buy air tickets for flights operated by TAM with a destination option ranging from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Porto Alegre and Foz do Iguaçu (in Brazil), in addition to Buenos Aires (in Argentina) and Istanbul. After receiving approval from the aeronautical authorities of both countries, reservation and purchase facility of tickets to destinations of choice will be available to customers on the companies’ website.

TAM S.A., operating through its subsidiaries TAM Linhas Aéreas and TAM Mercosur, is a renowned air transportation services provider, both in the domestic and international markets. Currently, TAM offers 43 destinations in Brazil and 19 in Latin America, apart from cities in the United States and Europe – in addition to another 92 international destinations by means of codeshare agreements. TAM competes directly with its peers, such as AMR Corporation (AMR) and GOL Linhas A (GOL).

Turkish Airlines adds third Libyan destination

Turkish Airlines is seizing the opportunity to establish a major presence in the Libyan market with the launch of a new route from Istanbul Atatürk (IST) to Misrata (MRA), the third largest city in the country after Tripoli and Benghazi, both of which are already served by the airline. Initially, there will be four flights per week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) using 737-800s, but this will increase to daily from 5 January. This is believed to be the first international scheduled service at the airport to be operated by a non-Libyan airline. According to anna.aero’s database, this is Turkish Airlines’ 20th new route from Istanbul’s main airport this year, with at least one more (to London Gatwick) due to start before the end of the year.

Turkish Airlines launches Gatwick flights

Gatwick has welcomed a new carrier, with the launch of Turkish Airlines' daily flights to Istanbul.

The route is operated using an Airbus A321-200, with capacity for 195 passengers in a two-class (economy and business) layout.

The flight leaves Istanbul at 10.50, arriving into Gatwick's North Terminal at 12.50.

From Gatwick, the flight leaves at 13.55 and arrives into Istanbul's Ataturk airport at 19.45.

Turkish Airlines has joined a growing list of carriers launching out of Gatwick, including Air Asia X, Vietnam Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines and Air China.

Guy Stephenson, Gatwick’s chief commercial officer, said: “We are competing with other airports in London and the South East in order to give passengers the greatest choice of destinations to fly to.

“We already offer a choice of over 200 destinations, which is more than any other airport in the UK.”

The Turkish national carrier is the only airline to fly between Gatwick and Istanbul Ataturk Airport.

Easyjet currently operates flights from Gatwick to the Turkish city, but it flies into Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport.

Sabiha Gokcen is on the Asian side of Istanbul, 35 km from the city centre, while Ataturk is on the European side and is only 24 km from the city centre.