COMPARED to 2012, Turkish Airlines sales revenue increased by 27 per cent in 2013, reaching a total of 18.8 billion TRY ($8.4 billion). While operating profit increased 9 per cent, 683 million TRY ($307 million) net profit was recorded.
In 2013, 48.3 million passengers were carried implying a 23.6 per cent increase from 39 million passengers in 2012. Turkish Airlines, with this historic success, increased its market share to 12.8 per cent within European carriers. In addition, passenger load factor increased by 1.4 points, bringing it to 79 per cent in 2013. Under its new banner “Widen Your World” Turkish Airlines held a gala event in Riyadh to celebrate its successful partnerships with more than 200 travel agents in Saudi Arabia and presented awards of recognition to the top achievers. “Currently we have 66 operations a week from Saudi Arabia and 14 flights between Istanbul and Riyadh,” informed Ersen Engin, general manager of Turkish Airlines in Riyadh. “We are committed to considerably increasing this figure to address our Saudi passengers’ needs and expectations.” Turkish Airlines operates in seven cities in Saudi Arabia: Al Qassim, Dammam, Jeddah, Medina, Riyadh, Taif, and Yanbu. In Saudi Arabia, Turkish Airlines achieved remarkable growth of 95 per cent in 2011, with 25 per cent added in 2013, due to its service quality and efficient operations. Turkish Airlines was selected by Skytrax as Europe’s Best Airline for three consecutive years, from 2011 to 2013.