Turkish Airlines bullish African expansion plans

Turkish currently operates 18 destinations in Africa, Turkish CEO Temel Kotil said, adding that the airline expects to reach 24 destinations by the end of this year. This dramatic expansion will make Turkish the largest international carrier in Africa in terms of total number of destinations. The African expansion is partially made possible by the carrier's new fleet of Boeing 737-900ERs. Turkish is not the only carrier pursuing expansion in the fast-growing region. Middle Eastern carriers, particularly Emirates, are a large source of competition to Turkish Airlines and are geographically better positioned to operate into Africa.

Emirates already operates to 19 destinations across Africa and is currently the largest carrier operating between the Middle East and Africa, with over 185,000 weekly seats. Centreforaviation.com says that Turkish Airlines is now only the eighth largest carrier to operate between Africa and Europe, with over 80,000 weekly seats. While Turkish is - and will remain - well behind all-widebody operator Emirates in terms of total capacity, Turkish will soon have a bigger African network than the Dubai-based carrier.

Read the full article on www.centreforaviation.com.