Mariam Nihal Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – Turkish Airlines, the national carrier of Turkey and Europe's best airline, honored the best performing travel agents in Jeddah for their role in the rapid growth of the airline across the Kingdom, in a ceremony held at Jeddah Hilton on Monday. Turkish Airlines presented 25 awards in two categories for Jeddah travel agencies – “The Highest Sales in Business and Comfort Class” and “Ranking 1st in Total Sales.” The winners for highest sales in the two categories were conferred on Attar Travel, Zahid Travel Group and Al Rajhi Aviation. Turkish Airlines also presented 24 awards to individual members of the industry to honor the continuous support of GACA. Turkish Embassy representatives, GACA members and leading travel agents in Jeddah attended the award ceremony. Turkish Airlines announced its expansion plans during the ceremony. Osman Hacsmahmutoslu, General Manager for Turkish Airlines in Jeddah, spoke about the airline's rapid expansion in the region. He said Turkish Airlines is currently the largest country network for an airline in the world with 221-destination network across 98 countries. He added: “The robust growth in passenger numbers across the Kingdom highlights the rising popularity of Turkey as a business and leisure destination and the award winning service of Turkish Airlines, which makes the airline the popular choice for Jeddah residents. We are grateful for the contribution of the travel trade and ongoing support from the General Civil Aviation Authority.” Since 2010, Turkish Airlines has roughly doubled passenger traffic from the city. Excluding Haj and Umrah traffic, 750,000 passengers have traveled to and from the Kingdom in the past two years. Reportedly Turkish Airlines is the world's fastest growing airline across the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia. Turkish Airlines started their first flight to Jeddah in 1979. Turkish Airlines currently operates flights to 32 destinations in the Middle East Region, with 21 weekly flights from Jeddah. Turkish Airlines is a four-star airline flying to 221 cities around the world, comprised of 37 domestic and 184 international destinations. Turkish Airlines has received several “Passengers Choice Awards” from the consumer-ranking group Skytrax. Based on 2011 and 2012 results, Turkish Airlines has been chosen as the winner of “Best Airline Europe”, “Best Premium Economy Seats” for its Comfort Class seats and “Best Airline Southern Europe.”
