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18-Nov-2009 11:57 AM

Turkish Airlines seeking Thai Airways codeshare agreement; major Asian expansion plans

Turkish Airlines is reportedly seeking to forge a codeshare agreement with fellow Star Alliance carrier, Thai Airways, as part of the carrier's plans to expand in Asia through Bangkok, which it plans to develop into its Far East hub (Bangkok Post, 17-Nov-2009). The two have reportedly been in discussions over the agreement for some time, with THAI reluctant as it does not foresee major benefits. Turkish Airlines CEO, Temel Kotil stated the agreement would provide THAI with increased passenger traffic, and would enable it to resume services to Istanbul. Turkish Airlines plans to use most of its 22 long haul aircraft, which it will take delivery of over a two year period from Oct-2010, for its Asia expansion plans.

Turkish Airlines: "If our codeshare agreement goes well with THAI, we can focus more on Bangkok and utilise our partner's capacity to feed us more [passengers] while we feed them also… We'd love it if THAI flies here. It does not matter who carries the passengers. What we are after is Istanbul becoming an active hub," Temel Kotil, CEO. Source: Bangkok Post, 17-Nov-2009.

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