Quoting 1g (Reply 98):

EU accession requires candidate countries to comply with a uniform visa policy for those third countries. This obligation usually triggers a couple of years before full membership as in the case of many other EU countries (for example Croatia imposing visa in Turkish citizens last year even if they knew they were going to lose a number of Turkish tourists visiting Croatia due to non visa requirement)

Yes it is true that most of these third countries (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan etc.) citizens prefer Turkey for the convenience of not getting a visa but this is the cost of a EU accession or eventual entry ticket...

However as you know Turkey does not impose consular visa to many countries and it is just an entry visa granted upon entry at the border against a payment. You may have noticed that you can even get this organized through a very efficient website that Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is running. I would expect Turkey to include those countries included among the 89 countries or start issuing long term, multiple entry visas as a solution....That is still going to be easier to acquire than a Schengen visa for a third world country citizen yet Turkey can abide with the security screening through utilization of bio-metric data.

Last but not least, I expect the visa free travel between Turkey and EU to further enhance air travel between Turkey and EU. Can you believe that Turkish citizens require even a transit visa to fly through Heathrow since 1991 and in a rare category with our fellow friends from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Burma and North Korea...what an insult....
Turkish citizens need to reinstate visa free travel to Europe as we had it in in place until mid-80'ies to EEC countries.....

Considering the largest foreign travel market for Turkish citizens is the EU bloc, many millions will benefit and avoid the hassle of getting visa's for short flights to Europe.

Imagine the additional number of Turks that will be able to enjoy quick weekend breaks in European cities alone without worry of a visa?

Ali Sabanci was quoted as saying this might be the biggest traffic boost for Turkish carriers since domestic deregulation.

Quoting LAXintl (Reply 101):

Sure, but you also need to get, that there are thousands and thousands of Germans supporting the Turkish tourism industry each and every year. This number is already decreasing, but can you imagine what happens, if Germans now need a visa for Turkey?

I'm definetely not supporting this move in both directions.

Quoting Skyeurope (Reply 102):

I don^t get what you mean? Germans do not need visa now and the will not need visas for entering Turkey.

I refer to the post of user "1g" mentioning Turkey wants to end visa-free travel for 89 countries.

Quoting Skyeurope (Reply 104):

I think Turkey's popularity will not diminish just because Turkey will impose visa on 89 countries...If you look at those countries most of them are culturally more similar to Turkey than to other European countries and Turkey has already captured a great popularity with its food, hospitality, cultural diversity, superb historical sights etc. that we will continue to see the same and even more so flow of tourists from those countries. Turkish visas are easy to obtain and I am sure those visas (for those citizens from the 89 countries) will also be easier to obtain than a Schengen visa. Most likely through a website registration and not a full scale counsular type visa.

Of course we have to wait for the official announcement by the Turkish Government before we speculate more on this matter.

Quoting ankaraflyjet (Reply 105):

Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs just made a Press Release and Turkey will continue to apply visa free entry to Turkey by those 89 countries citizens until such time that Turkey enters into EU so this means that the news that popped up at BBC yesterday was not true...

So discussion ends here on this matter...

Quoting mercure1 (Reply 87):

Actually, it is in good order as it is now, because this list is based on size of domestic pax. DHMI follows more or less the same numbering. Only acception is DLM and BJV. BJV has more domestic pax, so my mistake was to list it as last. So next year, you will see SAW on top of IST in my listing.  

Quoting Yakamoz (Reply 90):

I think main reason for decline of tourism is Russians, as they have been in a serious economical downturn for almost a year now. Moreover security concerns about Syria, Iraq and Ukraine, as well as weak Euro also reduced European tourist numbers.

Quoting ankaraflyjet (Reply 106):

I support announcement of Turkish Government. I do not like visa restrictions imposed by western "civilization" and I sincerely believe that Turkey should welcome tourists from any origin without limitations.

Perhaps one day, if ever happens, Turkey officially joins EU, then it may be reasonable to engage visa restrictions.

Quoting TK105 (Reply 107): I support announcement of Turkish Government. I do not like visa restrictions imposed by western "civilization" and I sincerely believe that Turkey should welcome tourists from any origin without limitations.

Agree.

Quoting ankaraflyjet (Reply 106):

Yes, was happy to see this announcement today  

Anyways, hopefully we will see visa-free travel to Europe soon. It will be a great boost for Turkey and the aviation industry in Turkey.

Quoting TK105 (Reply 107): I think main reason for decline of tourism is Russians, as they have been in a serious economical downturn for almost a year now. Moreover security concerns about Syria, Iraq and Ukraine, as well as weak Euro also reduced European tourist numbers.

The Turkish Lira has depreciated a lot relative to the Euro. Roughly summer 2010 1 EUR = 2 TL, summer 2012, 1 EUR = 2.5 TL, summer 2015 1 EUR = 3 TL with peaks of 3.4 TL. For European (Euro) tourists Turkey is (way) cheaper than ever in recent times. So for your average German tourist, Turkey in 2015 comparatively is much cheaper than Greece or Spain than it was in 2010.

Quoting 1g (Reply 109): Anyways, hopefully we will see visa-free travel to Europe soon.

French media last month said it was scheduled to go into effect by October 1, 2016

I can see this being a major boost in traffic demand from Turks that will be able to visit the EU so much easier now.
Should be great news for Turkish carriers.

Turkish Airlines will increase flights to a bunch of destinations in Europe and Egypt (!!)

http://airlineroute.net/2016/01/10/tk-eu-s16/

Turkish Airlines in latest schedule update has gradually adjusted planned frequency for short/medium-haul service, which sees majority of frequency increase. As of 10JAN16, planned frequency changes for Europe, Russia and Egypt as follow.

Note the frequency comparison is based summer 2016 vs summer 2015.

Istanbul Ataturk – Aalborg NEW 5 weekly terminator service (Overall increase from 7 to 12 weekly)
Istanbul Ataturk – Adler/Sochi Increase from 10 to 14 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Bari Increase from 4 to 5 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Billund NEW 5 weekly terminator service (Overall increase from 7 to 12 weekly)
Istanbul Ataturk – Birmingham Increase from 13 to 14 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Bologna eff 18MAY16 Increase from 17 to 20 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Bordeaux Increase from 7 to 10 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Budapest Service operates 27 weekly instead of 28
Istanbul Ataturk – Edinburgh Increase from 9 to 10 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Friedrichshafen 3 of 7 weekly service moves to morning departure from IST
Istanbul Ataturk – Helsinki Increase from 18 to 19 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Hurghada Increase from 7 to 10 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Ljubljana Increase from 10 to 14 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – London Heathrow Increase from 37 to 38 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Malta Increase from 13 to 14 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Muenster Increase from 5 to 9 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Naples Operational frequencies currently displaying 10 weekly, instead of 14
Istanbul Ataturk – Novosibirsk Increase from 3 to 6 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Oslo Increase from 18 to 19 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Podgorica Increase from 10 to 14 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Riga Increase from 7 to 11 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Sharm el Sheikh Increase from 7 to 10 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Tallinn Increase from 7 to 10 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Tbilisi Increase from 3 to 4 daily
Istanbul Ataturk – Valencia Increase from 7 to 11 weekly
Istanbul Ataturk – Vilnius Increase form 7 to 11 weekly

Was in SAW today. On the Cargo side to the end was a B757 from Sunday Airlines parked. Guess see a P4 Reg but not sure. Anyone know what it is doing there or will go "soon" ?

Cheers

Turkish Airlines SkyLibrary App was selected as one of 2015's top-10 best digital publishing apps by French/US digital media trade associations.

Quoting 1g (Reply 109): Anyways, hopefully we will see visa-free travel to Europe soon. It will be a great boost for Turkey and the aviation industry in Turkey.

  

Quoting ALAfly (Reply 113): Anyone know what it is doing there or will go "soon" ?

Could be in town for maintenance by myTechnic or TK.

How did TK increase their frequencies in Russian destinations? And the fact that TK wants to introduce new Russian destinations in 2016?

Given the situation Turkey and Russia is in, I would assume it would have been harder for TK to pull off this stuff.

Quoting 1g (Reply 115):

Maybe they're taking business of the Russian charters who have now stopped routes incl Antalya, Bodrum etc.

Hi folks, just seen the director of Bratislava airport to announce on national TV that this year Bratislava will get a scheduled flight to Istanbul, he did not disclose the airline though. Anyone got an idea which carrier could that be? I keep hearing that Turkish has no interest as they already operate several daily flights to Vienna. Pegasus and Onur Air also operate flights into Vienna, but not sure if they would actually consider to operate both cities or if they would actually consider moving operations. So I guess AtlasGlobal could be an option? Any thoughts?

Wow, I have been gone and you guys have been busy  
I have a lot of catching up to do. Just got back from the sunny islands of the Caribbean and was lucky enough to visit SXM, Maho Beach. It has been couple of years since my last time. Looks like they moved the fence all the way to the road and it is waayyyyyy busier with tourists this time. I don't know how much longer this could last, but it is getting messy, crowded and probably dangerous before they do something about it. Get to it while you can.
I was able to see the take off and the landing of AF 343, also there was a TuiFly 787, and a 767, might even be a private plane, not sure what it was. And the usual AA 757s, Jetblue and United single aisles.
Still much fun.

Reports of a terror attack at Istanbuls main tourist district Sultanahmet this morning. News reports saying people killed.

TK released traffic results for 2015:

Total Pax : 61,248,192 (+11.8)
Total Cargo : 720,440 t (+8.7%)

Int-to-Int Transit Pax : 18,385,283 (+18.1%)
Load Factor : 77.9% (-1.4%)

Most interesting figure for me is about Africa:

Africa Total Pax : 2,564,666 (+3.1%)
Africa Total Cargo : 97,024 t (+61.2%)

TK carries more cargo to Africa then North America, South America, Middle East and Turkey Domestic. More interestingly Africa cargo is almost double of North America Cargo. So looks like, cargo is bread and butter for TK on Africa routes.

(Edit:Typing mistake)

[Edited 2016-01-12 04:01:49]

Quoting OA260 (Reply 119):

Terrible news. RIP for all those lost their lives.
It is crazy, I was just there end of November visiting Hagia Sophia with a friend.

Quoting TK787 (Reply 121):

Yes as you know I was there in December at the same place. Always closer to home when its a city you know and love.

New targets from TK for 2016: (Turkish and English)

http://www.kap.gov.tr/bildirim-sorgu...ari/bildirim-detayi.aspx?id=498131

As usual I will revisit this at the end of 2016.
Fleet to grow to 240 single aisle, 87 twin aisle, 12 Cargo, for a total of 339 frames.
Total pax of 72.4 Million

Bunch of capacity increases , including this one.... "31% capacity increase to the Americas".
Could anyone remind me where the 30 more weekly flights will come from? (7xATL,4xLAX, 3xIAD, ?ORD..??)
Thanks.

Quoting TK787 (Reply 123):

TK's bid for IST YVR IST is on the go again. If it gets a negative response as last year from Canada IST SEA IST will be launched...

And IST has pased FRA to become No 3 in Europe.
Copy from Wiki:
Airport _ 2014 _ 2015 _ Increase
LHR 73,405,330[1] 74,900,000 Increase2.2%
CDG 63,813,756[2] 65,766,986 Increase3.1%
IST 56,954,790[3] 61,322,729 Increase7.7%
FRA 59,566,132[4] 61,032,022 Increase2.5%
AMS 54,978,023[6] 58,285,118 Increase6.0%
MAD 41,833,374[7] 46,828,279 Increase11.9%

Is TC-JPE written off?

Quoting TK105 (Reply 120): Most interesting figure for me is about Africa: Africa Total Pax : 2,564,666 (+3.1%) Africa Total Cargo : 97,024 t (+61.2%) TK carries more cargo to Africa then North America, South America, Middle East and Turkey Domestic. More interestingly Africa cargo is almost double of North America Cargo. So looks like, cargo is bread and butter for TK on Africa routes.

When you mean "cargo" here, I assume you are also referring to "excess baggage revenue" being included as part of the above figure because there is no way TK can carry "belly cargo" on its B739ERs on 6.5-7 hour flights to FIH/ACC/ABV/NBO/DLA etc.

Quoting TKA380 (Reply 126):

Yes. And TC-JOC too.

Quoting behramjee (Reply 127):

TK carries good amount of belly cargo with 737-900ERs from/to Africa. For instance they carry fish from DKR to Europe. DKR-IST takes 7 hrs as well. Why did you say "there is no way"?

Quoting emrecan (Reply 129): TK carries good amount of belly cargo with 737-900ERs from/to Africa. For instance they carry fish from DKR to Europe. DKR-IST takes 7 hrs as well. Why did you say "there is no way"?

That would imply the plane to be almost empty. The 900er is severly payload restricted on such long flights. Plus, the 900er is fitted with aux tanks -> less space in the belly.

Recently, there were news saying that the whole plane had no luggage in the belly due to payload restriction they left the suitcases in IST - only passengers were on board. Otherwise, plane would not have been able to make it there I guess.

[Edited 2016-01-15 08:55:02]

Quoting Turkish777X (Reply 130):

You mean the DKR flights are empty?  

Quoting emrecan (Reply 131): You mean the DKR flights are empty?

Did I say that?!

The 737 is not useful for cargo, particularly not if its flying long distances with aux tanks fitted. That's my point. Hard to grasp, right?

Quoting Turkish777X (Reply 132):

It is good you've edited your reply130.
But you should read the news regarding the baggage issue and then edit your previous reply again, please 

Lots of travel warning on Turkey by international companies recently, we had to relocate some meetings elsewhere, I hope this will not impact the growth of air travel between Turkey and North America.....2016 may see slow down in traffic growth may be, I hope not, but not a good start to the year....any comments???

Quoting ankaraflyjet (Reply 134):

The Sultanahmet attacks in itself will probably have an effect on the people visiting Istanbul, but at the same time the overall increasing popularity of Istanbul and Turkey will probably greatly offset the setback of the Sultanahmet attacks.

So I think there will still be a great positive increase in air travel into and out of Turkey.

Any idea what happened with TK45 from CPT yesterday, as it seems to be delayed 24hours.

Quoting TK787 (Reply 123):

87 wide-bodies - the exit-entry list shows 84 by end year. That means 3 more aircraft. From where are these frames coming?
Ilker Ayci said 3 B777 coming in January - but just 1 (TC-LJE) is in painting in PAE.

300th aircraft is coming early February, highly possible it is an A333.

Quoting ankaraflyjet (Reply 134): I hope not, but not a good start to the year....any comments???

It will all depend on what happens next. If there are no more attacks in tourist resorts/areas then it will not get that much media attention. For instance attacks in other parts of the country are rarely given much coverage outside of Turkey. The recent attacks have certainly had an impact on European package holiday bookings for the Summer 2016 programs. Heavy discounts are being offered to attract people. I know people who go most years to Antalya but this year have opted for Portugal/Spain.If we see a suicide attack or bomb attack at a coastal tourist resort then that will be a game changer. Lets hope for the best. They may need to increase visable security at resorts this Summer.

Quoting GRJGeorge (Reply 136): Any idea what happened with TK45 from CPT yesterday, as it seems to be delayed 24hours.

Could be due to the high winds which cancelled 95 flights at IST.

Sorry if discussed before...

I see more and more planes transferred from FreeBird to OnurAir (A320 & A321) - any reason why? Maybe a new joint-venture?

Quoting debonair (Reply 139): I see more and more planes transferred from FreeBird to OnurAir (A320 & A321) - any reason why? Maybe a new joint-venture?

Dont think its any JV, just Onur is growing its schedule business and needs more frames.
Freebird which is 100% charter probably sees softness with markets like Russia having issues so can sublease its aircraft.

Latest TK 77W has been painted and named "SUMELA" after the Sumela Monestary in Trabzon:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woodysaeroimages/24344290541/

Quoting OA260 (Reply 138): Quoting GRJGeorge (Reply 136):Any idea what happened with TK45 from CPT yesterday, as it seems to be delayed 24hours. Could be due to the high winds which cancelled 95 flights at IST.

No, the inbound flight TK44 was on-time, the departing flight from CPT was delayed 24hours, only after the next day's flight arrived was it able to go, so as to waiting for a spare part perhaps

Quoting GRJGeorge (Reply 142):

Yes that could be.

More snow cancellations in IST :


Turkish Airlines cancels 246 flights due to forecasted snow in Istanbul

Turkish Airlines (THY) announced on Jan. 17 that it had canceled a total of 246 of its domestic and international flights over forecasted snowfall in Istanbul on Jan. 18.

“Our flights on the chart have been canceled due to forecasted meteorological events and heavy snowfall in Istanbul’s Atatürk and Sabiha Gökçen airports. We urge our passengers to get informed and get updates about their flights by checking our website or calling out call center,” the carrier said in a statement on its website.

THY had also canceled some 95 flights over strong Lodos winds in Istanbul on Jan. 16.

“Due to storm-strength ‘Lodos’ winds, flights on Jan. 16 and 17 have been canceled to reduce potential capacity,” it said.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tur...pageID=238&nID=93957&NewsCatID=341

I am curious how much TK will be affected by the lifting of sanctions against Iran and Iranian carriers' future growth with modern planes.

Was just watching the Turkish Airlines Justplanes 777-300 ER video IST-NRT. Wow those takeoffs with the 77W in IST for a 12 hour flight are intense on a 3,000 meter runway!

Flaps 20 and N1 at 101%! Must be an intense takeoff = )

Quoting TK105 (Reply 120): Int-to-Int Transit Pax : 18,385,283 (+18.1%)

That impresses me that almost a third of the traffic is int-to-int connections/transit. That implies a very well marketed hub.

What if... TK had more rights to India?


Lightsaber

Quoting lightsaber (Reply 146): That implies a very well marketed hub.

TK do a very good job of marketing and getting their brand out to the local trade and public alike. You have to hand it to them they are up their with the likes of Emirates with brand awareness even in the smaller markets.

Looks like AC Dreamliners fly from ESB before expected IST (daily 767 to switch to 788 from May) today.

AC is flying ESB YYZ today (AC 2119) and the next flight will be on February 6th ESB YUL with the same flight number...

Good to see Dreamliners at ESB !!!

Any news on the TRJ328 and TP328 projects? Any links for the specs on these 2 birds?