AT a recent launch event in Dubai, Turkish Airlines, the national flag carrier of Turkey, announced the launch of daily flights to Dubai from Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Istanbul. On December 25, the airline started flying from Istanbul’s second international airport to Dubai, one of the world’s most exciting shopping, leisure and business destinations.
Turkish Airlines currently flies 14 weekly flights to Dubai from its hub at Istanbul Ataturk Airport. The inclusion of seven additional flights per week from and to Sabiha Gokcen which is the Asian side of Istanbul, will increase its capacity on routes to Dubai by nearly 50 per cent. From March 2016, the airline will increase its weekly flights to 10 per week between Dubai and Sabiha Gokcen, further increasing frequencies and capacity on this route.Emre Ismailoglu, general manager, Dubai and Northern Emirates, Turkish Airlines, says: 'Our continued growth from Dubai is a success story for Turkish Airlines and demonstrates our commitment and faith in the potential of this region for even further growth. The local market in Dubai, and the UAE in general, continues to generate strong sales, and I am very optimistic of the carrier’s increased frequencies on this route.'Until the third quarter of 2015, passengers carried from the UAE increased by 2.2 per cent to about 320,000. Business/Comfort Class passengers increased by 6.3 per cent for the same period whilst Available Seat Kilometres (ASK) increased by 3.2 per cent as compared to the same period in 2014.Travelling to Sabiha Gokcen will also enable passengers to access popular Turkish destinations such as Bursa, Bodrum, Ankara, Samsun, Antalya, among others through the Turkish Airlines budget carrier.'Our main focus for the UAE market is our ability to connect Europe. We fly 102 cities in Europe – via Istanbul it is a very short and comfortable connection. Within an hour or two, we can connect you to more than 60 European cities. 'Our competitive advantage lies in the fact that we connect the smaller, secondary cities of Europe with the GCC. Other airlines, for instance, will connect you to Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, but we fly to four additional destinations into the country: Bilbao, Santiago de Compostela, Valencia and Malaga. In Germany, we connect 14 destinations. And that makes it easier for us to compete. 'And why would you want to go to Europe via Istanbul? We have a very attractive stopover programme Touristanbul, which is free, if your connection is longer than six hours. This includes a city tour with a guide and lunch – no need to wait inside the airport.' **********************************************************************************************************************************
Daily flights from Abu Dhabi Hot on the heels of the Dubai – Sabiha Gokcen announcement, Turkish Airlines launched daily flights from Abu Dhabi to Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, adding frequencies on the route, which previously shared four flights a week. Turkish Airlines will now be able to carry 2,500 passengers between the two cities on a weekly basis.
Adem Ceylan, vice-president, Sales, Middle East and Cyprus, Turkish Airlines, says: “Our new daily flight to Abu Dhabi combines world-class service with convenient access to this important Middle Eastern gateway from across our global network. ” **********************************************************************************************************************************
Q3 2015 vs Q3 20142.2pc increase in passengers carried from the UAE
6.3pc increase in Business/Comfort Class passengers
3.2pc increase in Available Seat Kilometres
