Turkey's national carrier Turkish Airlines plans to double flights between Delhi and Istanbul and add Hyderabad and Kolkata as new destinations next year, its chief executive, Temel Kotil, told ET.
"We will expand into 250 destinations by next year and offer more connectivity to Indians," Kotil said. "We've better connections than Gulf carriers and have 85% loads from India. This is much more than our network-wide average of 77%."
The airline also plans to approach an Indian celebrity to promote Istanbul as a tourist destination and lure Indians to use its hub there to fly to the West. Last week, the carrier announced the appointment of soccer star Leo Messi as its global brand ambassador.
An estimated 90,000 Indians have already visited Turkey this year, compared with 75,000 in 2011. Kotil said the country offers a perfect getaway for the growing middle class in India.
12/12/12 Anindya Upadhyay/Economic Times
