Turkish Airlines opens new Dubai office underlined by 36% increase in passenger traffic from the city

Turkish Airlines, the national carrier of Turkey and Europe’s best airline, opened its new office in Dubai, led by increasing demand from the Emirate, with 36 percent growth in passenger traffic reported in the last two years. This further builds on the momentum that Turkish Airlines is recording across its Middle East network, as well as other global destinations. 

This year, Turkish Airlines celebrates 30 years of flying to Dubai and now operates 14 weekly flights from the Emirate, connecting travellers to 221 cities globally, across 98 countries, the largest country network for an airline. In line with increased passenger traffic, Turkish Airlines has increased seats on the Dubai route by 36 percent in the last 2 years. The airline also recently announced flights to Houston, with attractive ticket prices from Dubai to the airline’s fifth destination in America. 

The new sales office, located in Building 6, Emaar Square, Downtown Dubai was officially opened in the presence of His Excellency Şefik Vural Altay, Ambassador of Turkey to the United Arab Emirates. The event was attended by Turkish Airlines’ key travel partners, members of Turkish Airlines Corporate Club, and senior representatives of the airline, who provided an overview of the airline’s recent growth and planned expansion. 

Ayse Misirli Mirza, General Manager for Turkish Airlines in Dubai, said: “The increase in passenger numbers from Dubai is testament to the growth in demand from both business and leisure travellers to Turkey from the UAE. We have witnessed significant increase in the uptake of our Business Class seats which reflects the increasing business and trade relations between the two countries.” 

She added: “The travel industry in Dubai has been integral to our growth in the Emirate over the last 30 years and we are confident that with our award winning inflight service and competitive pricing to Turkey and beyond destinations, the upward growth will continue.” 

The construction of Turkey’s new airport in Istanbul, recently, announced to become the largest in the world, is paving the way for further expansion of Turkish Airlines operations worldwide and across the Middle East where the airline currently flies to 31 destinations. 

Turkish Airlines traffic revenues from the Middle East grew 13 percent complemented by an increase in available seat numbers by 24.8 percent and load factor gaining 3.5 points. A major contributor to growth in traffic from Dubai and the wider Middle East is the growing appeal of Turkey as a holiday destination for its cultural blend of Eastern and Western influence.  

The company’s growth is also in line with the recent IATA announcement that Middle East airlines posted the strongest growth rates for the start of 2013, particularly in business class travel growth, outperforming the global industry average by tapping into demand from emerging markets.