Turkish Airlines reiterates growth opportunities and a more profitable outlook for SunExpress

In CAPA's report on Turkish Airlines' 3Q2013 results, we highlighted that RASK growth failed to beat CASK growth for the first time this year and suggested management would want to demonstrate this was not the start of a new trend. The airline has now provided some reassurance on this.

Beyond this issue, CEO Temel Kotil used the recent Turkish Airlines' investor day to reiterate his strategy of using the carrier's Istanbul hub to attract global connecting traffic flows, leading to growth ahead of the market, albeit with an increased focus on frequencies rather than new destinations in future. This strategy has similarities with those of the Gulf carriers, but is also underpinned by the significant Turkish home market.

The Turkish market includes strong competition in the shape of LCC Pegasus, but the return to profitability of SunExpress, jointly owned by Turkish Airlines (THY) and Lufthansa, provides THY with another option for facing this competitive threat.