News follows further increases in long-haul flights.
There has been a further boost for Birmingham Airport with the news that Turkish Airlines will increase services between the city and Istanbul from ten flights a week to twelve from the 29th March 2015, providing even more domestic and international connections to passengers from the Midlands. The announcement comes at a time when Etihad and Air India have also unveiled plans to increase services into Birmingham.
Selim Ozturk, General Manager for Birmingham with Turkish Airlines, said, “Outside of London, Birmingham is the UK’s third largest airport, handling more than 9.5 million passengers a year and serving 140 direct destinations worldwide. Over the summer months, these numbers are expected to soar as residents of Birmingham and surrounding areas embark on their summer vacations.
“In 2014, we saw our passenger numbers increase by 8% from January to December, compared to the same period in 2013. As Istanbul is a hot destination for long weekend breaks and extended summer holidays, Turkish Airlines will be increasing its weekly flight services from Birmingham to Istanbul to twelve per week from March. The new flights will provide additional domestic and international connections to our passengers travelling from Birmingham.
“Turkish Airlines continues to achieve great success, and is one of the fastest growing airlines in Europe. For the fourth consecutive year, we were chosen as the ‘Best Airline in Europe’ at the 2014 Skytrax World Airline awards. Turkish Airlines currently fly to 108 countries – which is more than any other airline across the globe.”
Paul Kehoe, Chief Executive, Birmingham Airport, added, “Turkish Airlines’ Birmingham operation has gone from strength to strength because it has listened to the market and given customers what they want. People know that by flying Turkish Airlines they will receive award winning service, excellent punctuality and very competitive fares, as well as onward connectivity to more routes globally than any other airline.
“We are therefore very proud to have Turkish Airlines operating from Birmingham and delighted that it is further committing to the region by increasing frequencies to Istanbul and beyond.”