Birmingham International Airport is pleased to welcome another high calibre major global network carrier – Turkish Airlines – which has confirmed that it will commence services to Istanbul from 15th December. The new service will offer Midlands travellers the first direct scheduled service to Istanbul from the region.

Turkey’s flag-carrier and member of the Star Alliance global airline grouping will operate five weekly flights to Istanbul and will provide onward flight opportunities within Turkey, the Middle East and the Far East, through its own established route network. 

Turkish Airlines currently has a four star ranking according to SKYTRAX, the world airline star rating programme that ranks airline product and service standards, similar to that achieved by Air France, British Airways, Emirates, Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic.

Osman Battal, Turkish Airlines’ Director for UK, said, “Not only can we offer air travellers in Birmingham and the wider region new direct flights to Istanbul, but we are also able to fly people to over 140 onward destinations including Bangkok, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Delhi, Bombay and Singapore. Although we will be launching in December with five weekly flights, we aspire to be operating daily services from Birmingham by summer 2009 and carrying 30,000 of passengers a year by this time.”

The airline will operate a 155-seat mixed configuration Boeing 737-800 aircraft, fitted with 20 seats in business class and 135 in economy.

Flights on Mondays and Thursdays will arrive in Birmingham at 1030 and depart to Istanbul at 1130. The remaining three weekly flights on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays will arrive in Birmingham at 1215 and depart at 1315.

The timings are such to allow the shortest possible connection times to the banks of worldwide departures from Turkish Airlines’ Istanbul hub.

Peter Vella, Birmingham International Airport’s Business Development Director, said, “This news is fantastic, not only because we can boast having one of Europe’s most established and highest quality airlines joining us, but also because the Midlands will have its first direct flight to the ancient city of Istanbul and the excellent range of onward connections across the Middle East and the Asian continent. We look forward to welcoming the airline, which this year celebrates its 75th anniversary, and making the route a great success.”

Turkish Airlines is based in Istanbul and operates a fleet of 107 aircraft to 142 destinations throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the United States. In 2007 it carried nearly 20million passengers and supports 10,500 employees.

Due to its strategic location astride two continents – Europe and Asia – Turkey’s culture has a unique blend of Eastern and Western tradition and Istanbul is the only meropolis in the world that is situated on two continents. It sits at an international junction for land and sea trade which has enabled it to be the center of the country’s economic life. In fact, the GDP growth rate from 2002 to 2007 averaged 7.4%, which made Turkey one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

Fares from Birmingham with Turkish Airlines start from £180 return, including taxes. Bookings can be made by calling the airline’s reservations number on  0844 800 66 66 , online at www.thy.com or through local travel agents.

Post from: Fethiye Bay - Local English Newspaper

Turkish Airlines Announces New Birmingham Operation