From left: Bahri Yilmaz, General Manager of Turkish Airlines in Taif; Muhammed Bilal Doner, General Manager of Turkish Airlines in Qassim; Ahmet Muhtar Gün, Turkey's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Ersen Engin, General Manager of Turkish Airlines in Riyadh; Selim Tuzci, General Manager for Turkish Airlines in Eastern Province (Dammam). Turkish Airlines, the national carrier of Turkey and Europe's best airline, recorded a growth in passenger traffic of 43 percent in Riyadh during 2012 compared to 2011, sustaining the momentum that the world's fastest growing airline reports across the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia. An event was held at Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh recently to honor the travel agents for their contribution to driving passenger traffic, in the presence of Ahmet Muhtar Gün, Turkey's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Leading travel agents in Riyadh attended the ceremony. Building on the growth achieved by Turkish Airlines in terms of passenger traffic from Riyadh – which grew 40 percent in 2011 compared to 2010 – the airline also recorded the doubling of seats on flights to and from the city in the last two years. Simultaneously, the six-city network of Turkish Airlines in Saudi Arabia reported a doubling of passenger numbers from the Kingdom since 2010 reaching 750.000. Ersen Engin, General Manager for Turkish Airlines in Riyadh, said: “The robust growth in passenger numbers from Riyadh underlines the emergence of Turkish Airlines as a popular carrier for residents in the city, as well as the rising importance of Turkey as a business and leisure destination for the Kingdom.” “With Riyadh's robust passenger increase of 40 percent year on year, and increased demand from both business and leisure travelers to Turkey and beyond destinations, we are confident that with our award winning inflight service and competitive pricing the upward trend will continue.” He added: “We are delighted to celebrate the achievement of our travel agencies that have contributed to the rapid expansion of Turkish Airlines network in the region, and to the airline's 220 destination network – the largest country network in the world.” Turkish Airlines currently operates flight to 32 destinations in the Middle East Region, with 14 weekly flights from Riyadh. The airline plans to add further routes in both the Kingdom and the Middle East Region. The company's growth is in line with the recent IATA announcement that Middle East airlines posted the strongest growth rates for January this year, outperforming the global industry average by tapping into demand from emerging markets. Huseyin ES, Cultural & Information Attache of the Turkish Embassy in Saudi Arabia, said: “Turkey's tourism sector is thriving and Saudi visitors are increasingly flocking to the famed city of Istanbul as well as cities such as Bursa, Yalova, Trabzon and Antalya for rich cultural experiences and scenic holidays. In addition, trade relations between the countries are growing, demonstrated by the increased demand and uptake in travel through Turkey's national carrier.” As part of Turkish Airlines relations with the travel trade, the airline recently hosted a familiarization trip for the “Winter in Turkey” campaign, promoting Istanbul's proximity to Riyadh and Turkey's attraction as a tourist destination, the cultural linkage and spectacular blend of Eastern and Western influences that make the country a popular destination amongst GCC tourists. For more details including flight schedules of Turkish Airlines, please visit www.turkishairlines.com, or contact the call center on 00 90 212 444 0 849 or visit any Turkish Airlines sales office. — SG
