Turkish Airlines is latest Star Alliance member

02 Apr 2008

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Istanbul: Bringing a 16-month long process to an end, Turkish Airlines has now been inducted as the twentieth member of the Star Alliance. The significant event for the airline takes place even as it celebrates 75 years of service in 2008.

"With Turkish Airlines we have gained a new member carrier with a strong home market which is also one of the fastest growing economies in the world," Star CEO Jaan Albrecht said. Turkish brings 31 unique destinations to the alliance, mainly in Turkey, Central Asia and the Middle East, he said.

Along with Turkish, Star members now operate 18,000 daily flights that serve 965 airports in 162 countries.

"Joining the alliance is an important step for the airline's future," Turkish president, and CEO, Temel Kotil said.

Turkish serves three cities in China, 16 in the Middle East and 10 in Africa carrying 19.7 million passengers last year. This was up 23.5% over 2006, with a load factor of 73% and it now expects to carry 23.5 million in 2008.

Turkish is considering induction of larger aircraft, such as the 777 and the A380, to meet demand.

Earlier this week Turkish had announced plans for a low-fare airline unit, Anatolia Jet, for its domestic operations.

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