TURKISH Airlines, the national carrier of Turkey and Europe's best airline, honored the best performing travel agents in Jeddah at a gala award ceremony held in the city for their contribution to the rapid growth of the airline across the Kingdom. At the event at Intercontinental Hotel (Assultan Ballroom), travel agents were recognized for their contribution to driving passenger traffic and to announce expansion plans of the airline, underlining the growth momentum that the world's fastest growing airline reports across the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia. The gala dinner was attended by Turkish Embassy representatives and leading travel agents in Jeddah. The airline first started flying to Jeddah 36 years ago in 1979 and since 2010 has doubled passenger traffic from the city – a significant contribution to the 940,000 passengers that have travelled to and from the Kingdom in the last two years, excluding Haj and Umrah traffic. Turkish Airlines announced 10 awards for Jeddah travel agencies at the appreciation ceremony. The highest performed Agencies for awards were Attar Travel, Alrajhi Aviation & Zahid Travel Group. Osman Hac?mahmuto?lu, General Manager for Turkish Airlines in Jeddah, said: “We are delighted to honour the travel industry in Jeddah for their contribution to the airline's rapid expansion in the region and the airline's 261 destination network across 108 countries – currently the largest country network for an airline in the world. “With passenger traffic from Jeddah almost doubling in the last two years and increasing demand for seats at competitive prices to Turkey and beyond destinations, we are confident of sustaining this upward trend.” 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.” Turkish Airlines currently operates flights to 33 destinations in the Middle East Region, with 21 weekly flights from Jeddah. The airline plans to add further routes in both the Kingdom and the Middle East Region. As part of Turkish Airlines relations with the travel trade, the airline recently participated to the Jeddah Travel & Tourism Exhibition (JTTX 5th) campaign, promoting Istanbul's proximity to Jeddah 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
