Turkish Airlines to Expand Passenger Capacity and Market Share in Hungary
March 16, 2010 | Airline Flight, Airline Service, Airlines News
Turkey’s national carrier, Turkish Airlines, or THY, is aiming to expand its passenger capacity and market share in the central European country of Hungary, where it says it has seen great interest in the airline.
The company plans to increase the number of passengers utilizing THY’s flight services in Hungary, said Levend Ar?soy, THY’s director-general in the country.
THY participated in the 33rd International Budapest Tourism Fair last week and drew a good response, Ar?soy said. “We were pleased to witness the interest of Hungarians, both travel agents and potential tourists, and other Europeans in our booth,” he added. “We have seen there is a great expectation and demand for THY to begin flights to Slovakia.”
Hungarians prefer THY based on the food presented to passengers, the extremely high quality of beverages and the smiling faces and warm hospitality offered by the cabin crew, Ar?soy said.
“In 2009, we carried 79,000 passengers who traveled between Istanbul and Budapest,” he added. “In 2010, we plan to carry more than 90,000 passengers between Istanbul and Budapest.”
The national airline of Turkey, THY is headquartered in Istanbul. It operates a network of scheduled services to 120 international and 37 domestic cities, serving a total of 158 airports in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. The airline’s main base is at Atatürk International Airport in Istanbul, with secondary hubs at Esenbo?a International Airport in Ankara, Sabiha Gökçen International Airport in Istanbul and Adnan Menderes Airport in ?zmir.
In 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, THY carried 17 million, 19.7 million, 22.5 million and 25.1 million passengers, respectively, with total revenues of $2.23 billion, $3.0 billion, $4.5 billion and $4 billion in those years.
Estimated to be Europe’s seventh-biggest airline in terms of passengers carried in 2009, and fourth among national flagship carriers, THY has more than 12,000 employees. The airline has been a member of the Star Alliance since April 1, 2008, and is an official sponsor of the sports teams FC Barcelona and Manchester United.
