Turkish Airlines Launches Direct Manila-Istanbul Flights
A Turkish Airlines plane sits at the NAIA, being prepped for flight. ERIC APOLONIO, INTERAKSYON.COM
MANILA – The Philippines aims to double last year’s number of tourists from Turkey with the launch of direct, non-strop flights between Istanbul and Manila.
Turkish Airlines launched direct flights between Istanbul and Manila at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 (NAIA 1) Monday night.
Turkish Airlines will mount Manila-Istanbul flights three times a week in line with the two countries’ air services agreement, which grants Turkish carriers three frequencies per week to Manila and Clark. The flights will be mounted on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
“Our fighting target is to double it, but because of their vast network in Europe we are not only looking at the potential of Turkey, you are looking at the potential of easily 10 to 12 other countries in Europe, which all connect to Istanbul and onward to Manila,” Department of Tourism (DOT) Undersecretary Benito C. Bengzon Jr. said Monday night.
According to DOT data, the Philippines had 3,731 visitors from Turkey in 2013, a 19 percent year-on-year increase. Philippine visitors to Turkey numbered 3,581 in the same year.
“You can just imagine the purchasing power of the outbound tourists from Turkey,” Benzon said. Turkey is one of the world’s 15 biggest economies.
For its part, Turkish Airlines is looking to take advantage of the world’s newfound interest in the Philippines.
“We are very excited to bring our renowned inflight services to Filipinos and we hope that our new flights to Manila will boost trade between our two countries,” said Turkish Airlines chief executive Temel Kotil.
Kotil said the carrier is eyeing business, leisure and transit travelers seeking a gateway to Europe.
He said transit passengers prefer Turkey as a jump-off point to Europe because the country offers seamless transfer procedures, and is three hours away from 60 countries since it is located at the crossroads of Asia, Europe and Africa.
With over 260 destinations in 108 countries, Turkish Airlines operates the world’s fourth largest flight network. It flew more than 54 million passengers in 2014.