TURKEY: Onur Air Resumes Domestic Flights June 26, July 15th For International Flights

The low-cost Turkish airline Onur Air will resume domestic flights on June 26 and international flights on July 15, the company announced Tuesday.

Onur Air said in a statement that it will resume operations with new safety and health measures implemented following more than two months of suspension of flights as part of the restrictions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Flights were suspended on March 28 amid worldwide coronavirus restrictions.

The airline will operate one daily round trip between Istanbul and the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya and the Black Sea city of Trabzon and a trip to the Aegean resort town of Bodrum four days a week, starting from July 26.

Onur Air CEO Teoman Tosun said the company’s priority is to ensure maximum security for the passengers and to offer the cheapest prices available.

Our aircraft are being disinfected in line with national and international health standards to prevent the spread of the virus, Tosun said.

The spread of the virus suspended touristic activity from March as Turkey was quick to close its borders and halt flights and other modes of transportation.

Turkey’s flag carrier Turkish Airlines, SunExpress its joint venture with Lufthansa and major budget airline Pegasus have already resumed domestic flights between major routes in the first week of June, after the lifting of travel restrictions due to the pandemic.

The airlines had been scheduled to resume limited international travel from mid-June and are waiting for permission to fly from national and international authorities.

The Low Cost Airlines Market report provides a detailed analysis of global market size, regional and country-level market size, segmentation market growth, market share, competitive Landscape, sales analysis, impact of domestic and global market players, value chain optimization, trade regulations, recent developments, opportunities analysis, strategic market growth analysis, product launches, area marketplace expanding, and new innovations.

Top Companies in the Global Low Cost Airlines Market are Fastjet, Mango, Fly540, Dana Air, JamboJet, Skywise, Onur Air, Bahrain Air, Airblue, Air Arabia, Flydubai, Air Asia X, FlySafair, Sama, Nas Air, Ease On Air, Jazeera Airways and Others.

Onur Air is a low-cost airline with its headquarters in the Technical Hangar B at Istanbul Ataturk Airport in Yeşilköy, Istanbul, Turkey.

It operates mostly domestic scheduled services, as well as a wide range of charter flights out of its base at Istanbul Airport. Its aircraft and crews also operate for its partly owned leisure subsidiary Holiday Europe.

Onur Air was established on 14 April 1992 and started revenue operations using a wet-leased Airbus A320 with a flight to Ercan in North Cyprus on 14 May of that year.

Onur means proud, self-esteem in Turkish. Over the next years, the Onurair fleet grew, so that by the end of 1995, it included nine aircraft.

Previously its head office was in Florya, Bakırköy, Istanbul.

In 1996, Ten Tour acquired ownership of the airline. By 1997 McDonnell Douglas MD-80 twin-jet airliners had been added to the fleet. Due to a recession, Onur Air had to reduce the size of its fleet to 13 in 1998, and then to 9 in 1999. Since then the airline has expanded again.

As of 6 April 2019 all of Onur Air's flights from their former base at Ataturk Airport have been relocated to the new Istanbul Airport.[

In August 2019, Onur Air established a new, partly-owned subsidiary named Holiday Europe for leisure flights between Europe and destinations around the Mediterranean. Onur Air provides aircraft and crews for the new brand.

On 17 June 2003, Onur Air Flight 2263, a McDonnell Douglas MD-88 registration TC-ONP overshot the runway at Groningen Airport Eelde following an aborted take-off. There were no injuries, but the airline was accused of security breaches.

On 12 May 2005, Onur Air was denied access to Dutch airspace for a month. Several incidents were the cause of the suspension of the airline. Negotiations took place between the Dutch authorities and Onur Air and on 24 May 2005 Onur Air had permission to fly from and to the Netherlands again.

On 1 January 2007, the cargo hold of a McDonnell Douglas MD-88 aircraft burst open upon landing at Ataturk International Airport, spilling luggage onto the runway.

On 7 September 2007, an Airbus A321 aircraft lost cabin pressure on a charter flight from Dalaman Airport to Birmingham Airport, resulting in an emergency landing at Atatürk International Airport. Passenger reports included a smoking engine and broken down oxygen masks.

On 20 August 2011, an Onur Air pilot forgot to contact Munich Air Traffic Control and caused the quick reaction air defence of both Germany and Austria to send four Eurofighter Typhoons to intercept the company's A321.

SERBIA: Serbia Becoming Tourist Heaven For Chinese

As of now Serbia attracts millions of tourists every year, despite being beset by political and economic difficulties due to its turbulent past during the 1990s.

The latest figures show that from January to August nearly 2.5 million tourists visited Serbia, a 6% rise from the same period last year. They include a large number of Chinese, Turkish and German tourists.

Lijana Stankovic, public relations manager of the National Tourism Organization of Serbia, said Turkey and Serbia share many cultural similarities.

What the Turks think about Serbia, they have shown by devising a slogan, 'Discover the Closeness,' because of their first impression when they come to Serbia. They also find nightlife in Belgrade very attractive.

Stankovic added that the Chinese who do not require a visa to visit Serbia are drawn by the unspoiled nature and cultural and historical sites.

Serbia's government signed an agreement with Fliggy, an online travel platform owned by Alibaba, for promotion of the country as a tourist destination.

Also, the tourism office has partnered with Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) for promotions.

Foreign tourists prefer spending their holiday in the big cities, while domestic tourists make a beeline for spa resorts.

The first choice of domestic tourists are spas, mostly Vrnjacka and Sokobanja – followed by the mountains of Zlatibor and Kopaonik.

Foreigners flock to the capital Belgrade or the cities of Novi Sad, Zlatibor, Vrnjacka Banja and Kopaonik, famous for its scenic views and hot springs.

The Iron Gate, Danube Gorde and Lepenski Vir, the first urban settlement in Europe dating back to 9,000 B.C. are not-be-missed destinations, she added.

We suggest walking the ancient paths of Roman Emperors on the UNESCO site of Gamzigrad Felix Romuliana, along with Vinimacium and Mediana.

Visit our UNESCO-listed monasteries of Studenica and Sopocani, and you will learn about the true values of life.

Make sure not to miss the impressive view from Belgrade fortress, the eternal guardian of our capital overlooking the confluence of rivers and nations for centuries," she concluded.

Serbia's second-largest city of Novi Sad is gearing up to become the European Youth Capital in 2020 and Capital of Culture in 2021.

It is home to the world-famous music festival EXIT which will celebrate its 20 years in 2020.

TURKEY: China Southern Airlines, China's Largest Airline To Fly More Chinese Tourists To Istanbul

China Southern Airlines, the country's largest airline, is introducing the world's largest passenger aircraft - the Airbus 380 - on its Istanbul route, due to an increased interest in Turkey.

The use of such aircraft and Turkey's flag carrier Turkish Airlines' (THY) new destinations in China, including the central northwestern city of Xi'an, will help Chinese companies bring more tourists to Turkey.

Turkey has seen high interest from Chinese tourists in recent years, boosted by improving cultural and economic ties between the two countries.

According to the Culture and Tourism Ministry data, some 292,000 Chinese citizens came to Turkey in the first eight months of this year, an increase of 12.66% compared to the same period last year.

If this upward trend continues, the number of Chinese tourists is expected to hit 500,000 by the end of the year.

As Chinese airlines launched flights to Turkey one after another to get their share, Chinese companies with existing lines to Turkey have also scheduled additional flights from new destinations.

Last May, China Southern Airlines launched flights from Wuhan, the largest city in Central China with a population of around 11 million, in addition to its Beijing line.

Regarded as China's largest airline in terms of fleet, the company schedules flights from Beijing's Capital airport. And the airline is now planning to carry more passengers to Turkey by expanding the type of aircraft due to intense demand from its citizens.

With necessary permits, the company will resume its flight from Daxing, the second airport of Beijing, to Istanbul Airport with the Airbus 380, which can carry up to 853 passengers in a single-class economy configuration or 555 passengers if in a three-class configuration.

China marked Turkey Tourism Year in 2018 and hosted dozens of events around the country. Around 400,000 Chinese tourists visited Turkey last year.

This number is expected to approach 500,000 this year and surpass 750,000 by 2020. The number of Chinese tourists in the country is expected to rise to 1 million in two years.

Chinese citizens mostly visit Cappadocia, one of the prominent destinations frequented by Chinese tourists in Turkey, Pamukkale, Ephesus and Istanbul.

Meanwhile, Airbus 380s could not use now-closed Atatürk Airport except for special operations due to the lack of suitable runways and taxiways.

However, with runways, taxiways and passenger bridges fit for wide-body aircraft, Istanbul Airport can easily accommodate the A380.

Airbus previously announced that it would halt the production of A380 passenger aircraft and that the final delivery would take place in 2021.

The A380 has a body length of 73 meters, a height of 24 meters, and a wingspan of 80 meters. The aircraft can fly at a top speed of 1,185 kilometers per hour, with a range of 14,800 kilometers.

China Southern Airlines Company Limited is an airline headquartered in Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.

Established on 1 July 1988 following the restructuring of the CAAC Airlines that acquired and merged a number of domestic airlines, the airline became one of China's "Big Three" airlines alongside Air China and China Eastern Airlines, the world's seventh-largest airline measured by passengers carried and Asia's largest airline in fleet size, revenue, and passengers carried.

With its main hubs at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport, the airline operates more than 2,000 flights to more than 200 destinations daily and was a member of SkyTeam until 1 January 2019.

The airline started a frequent flyer program partnership with American Airlines in March 2019. The logo of the airline consists of a kapok flower which is also the city flower of Guangzhou on a blue tail fin.

The parent company of China Southern Airlines Company Limited is China Southern Air Holding Company, a state-owned enterprise that was supervised by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.

China Southern is headquartered in the China Southern Air Building at 68 Qixin Road in Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.

It was previously at 278 Jichang Airport Road in Baiyun District.

China Southern had plans to open a new headquarters facility on a 988-acre (400 ha) site on the outskirts of Guangzhou, about 4 miles (6.4 km) from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. Woods Bagot won a competition for the architect firm which would design the facility.

The proposed site consists of two parcels of land on opposite sides of a highway leading to Baiyun Airport; both sites are shaped like wings. The site will have a bridge and light rail system that operates above the highway to connect the two parcels, which will each have distinct functions.

For instance, the east parcel will house internal functions such as the data center facilities, staff dormitories, and the training center. The airline wants it to be aesthetically pleasing from the air since it sits below a runway approach.

The site will have a lot of outdoor space, which Woods Bagot designed along with Hargreaves Associates and Sherwood Design Engineers.

Jean Weng, a Woods Bagot Beijing-based principal, said most Chinese cities are very dense and very urban, but China Southern wants to create a human-scale campus, that's close to nature. The new headquarters was opened in August 2016.

China Southern Airlines serves 193 destinations in 35 different countries worldwide.

It maintains a strong presence in the domestic market with its main hubs at Beijing Capital International Airport and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport with secondary hubs at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, and Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, along with other focus cities in Changchun, Changsha, Dalian, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Wuhan, and Zhengzhou.

The airline plans to continue to develop Chongqing and Urumqi as hubs as well to exploit the domestic market potential.

China Southern offers 485 flights a day from its Guangzhou hub and 221 from its Beijing hub. The airline provides services to 65 international destinations.

Most of the international flights link Guangzhou with world cities. There are also plenty of international flights operated through Beijing, Shanghai, Urumqi notably to Central Asia and Dalian to Japan, South Korea, and Russia.

China Southern Airlines has developed an extensive network to Southeast Asia and also has become the Chinese airline with the largest presence in Australia.

China Southern is also considering expanding into the South American markets, as well as further expansion into the African market.

Guangzhou Baiyun aircraft collision: On 2 October 1990, a hijacked Xiamen Airlines Boeing 737 crashed into a China Southern Airlines Boeing 757, killing 128 people from both aircraft.

China Southern Airlines Flight 3943: On 24 November 1992, China Southern Airlines Flight 3943, a Boeing 737-300, crashed into a hill near Guilin, Guangxi, due to an engine thrust malfunction. All 141 people on board were killed.

China Southern Flight 3456: On 8 May 1997, China Southern Flight 3456, a Boeing 737-300, crashed on approach to Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport killing 35 people and injuring 9.

On 13 November 2017, China Southern Flight 6406, a Boeing 737-800, with 151 passengers, was en route at 7800 meters (FL256) about 90 nm southwest of Changsha (China) when the crew received a cargo smoke indication and decided to divert to Changsha Huanghua International Airport.

The aircraft landed safely on runway 36 about 20 minutes later. The crew initiated an emergency evacuation via slides; one passenger was injured - sprained ankle during the evacuation. Emergency services found no trace of fire, heat or smoke.

On 5 January 2018, during a blizzard that hit the northeastern United States, a China Southern Boeing 777-300ER's wingtip struck the tail end of a Kuwait Airways Boeing 777 while taxiing at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, causing damage to both aircraft. Nobody was injured.

In 2013, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ordered China Southern Airlines to pay $11,600 in fines for violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) during the airline's transport of monkeys to laboratories in the United States.

The USDA found the airline had transported more than 1,000 monkeys into the United States without federal permission to do so and had transported the animals in insecure crates.

Previously, the airline had been ordered to pay $14,438 for AWA violations during one transport that left more than a dozen monkeys dead after they went without food and water for an extended period of time.

Following these most recent violations, China Southern announced that it would no longer transport monkeys to laboratories. PETA had protested against the airline for these shipments.

TURKEY: Turkish Airlines Start First Flight From Istanbul To Mexico City And Cancun From 21 August 2019

As part of its network expansion for the 2019 year, Turkish Airlines has announced the upcoming launch of its first flight to Mexico. Kicking off from the 21 August 2019, the airline will operate a triangle route between Istanbul, Mexico City and Cancun.

According to the airline, the entire route will operate under one flight number, TK181.

Operated three times a week, the route is expected to be served by Turkish Airline’s latest Boeing 787-9 aircraft that features a novel business class offering.

Commenting on the latest addition to its global network, Ahmet Olmuştur, chief marketing officer at Turkish Airlines, said: We are very pleased to announce this service to Mexico on Turkish Airlines.

As the flag carrier of Turkey, we are continuously looking to expand our network in order to present our quality-focused and service-centric concept to new destinations. Mexico is a country that has been on our radar for some time, and this new route marks a very exciting milestone for us.

The new route will be operated from the newly-minted Istanbul Airport.

Though currently still in developed, the new hub is expected to be able to process 200 million passengers a year, once all phases are completed.

Over the course of 2019, the carrier is expected to launch flights to six new destinations.

The upcoming additions include Marrakesh, Sharjah, Port Sudan, Bali, Luxor, and Rovaniemi.


Tourism Observer

IRAN: Air France and British Airways Stop Flights To Tehran

Air France made it’s last flight to Tehran on September 18th. Air France cut the number of frequencies to Tehran on August 1, announcing that it would fly only once in a week instead of 3.

British Airways will close route 4 days after Air France on September 22nd with a return trip on the 23rd.

British Airways and Air France are following suit of KLM, which announced last month that it would suspend flights from Amsterdam to Iran in September.

Both airlines are issuing statements that the routes are no longer commercially viable.

As the number of business customers flying to Iran has fallen, the connection is not profitable anymore, said a spokesperson for Air France.

However, speculation that the airlines are simply giving in to political pressure after the United States pulled out of the nuclear agreement with Iran and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

After the sanctions were originally reimposed in early August, Airbus and ATR stopped their deliveries to Iran Air, Iran’s national carrier.

Air France, KLM, and British Airways originally restarted their routes to Tehran in 2015 after the nuclear deal was originally struck.

British Airways is offering refunds to passengers affected or offering to rebook passengers with other carriers.

Air France has, in recent times, transferred their Theran route to their subsidiary, JOON.

Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Germania, Alitalia, and Turkish Airlines are some of the European airlines still operating their routes to Tehran. None of them have provided any indication that they plan to cut their flights as well.


Tourism Observer

KENYA: Ethiopian Airlines To Fly Twice Daily To Mombasa, Plans To Order 13 Additional Boeing 787 Jets And 6 More Airbus A350s

Ethiopian Airlines has been allowed more flights on the Mombasa route in an agreement between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.

The airline will now fly to Mombasa twice a day as Ethiopia and Kenya seek to deepen their trade ties.

The Kenyan side agreed to grant Ethiopian Airlines a second frequency flight to Mombasa, said a joint communique from State House after Mr Kenyatta met Dr Ali in Nairobi.

The extra flight given to Ethiopian Airlines will be a boost to coastal tourism which has been heavily dependent on charter flights from Europe.

Only two regional airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and RwandAir operate scheduled flights to Mombasa from Addis Ababa and Kigali respectively.

Turkish Airlines is the only one from Europe operating scheduled flights between Istanbul and Mombasa.

Government owned Ethiopian Airlines is ahead of other African airlines like Kenya Airways and South African Airways to become Africa’s largest airline by revenue and profit.

Its plan was to more than double its fleet to 120 and become Africa’s biggest airline by 2025,

Ethiopian Airlines has more than 100 aircrafts flying to various destinations in Africa, Asia to South America, and four US cities.

Kenya Airways plans its first direct flight to the US in October.

Hoteliers at the Coast have been lobbying for more international direct flights to Mombasa to ease air transport through Moi International Airport and attract more tourists.

As of now tourists visiting Kenya using other airlines must first land at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport before connecting to Mombasa.

Ethiopian Airlines’ recent growth has been supersonic that it revised the ambitious 15-year strategy set in 2010 and plans to buy more planes to step up its expansion.

Its plan had been to more than double its fleet to 120 and become Africa’s biggest airline by 2025, but it already has 100 planes flying to dozens of destinations from Africa, Europe, Asia to South America, including four US cities.

The State-owned carrier has also outpaced regional competitors Kenya Airways and South African Airways to become Africa’s largest airline by revenue and profit, according to the International Air Transport Association.

We have expanded more than we planned, said Chief Executive Tewolde Gebremariam. We had to revise the objective to make it 150 airplanes or more by 2025.

It now plans to place orders this year for 13 additional Boeing 787 jets and six more Airbus A350s, he said.

The airline has come a long way from when it was established in 1945 as a joint venture with now-defunct U.S. carrier Trans World Airlines (TWA).

In its 2016/17 financial year Ethiopian Airlines generated $2.7 billion in revenue, Tewolde said, up more than 11 percent from the previous year.

Passenger numbers climbed by more than 18 percent to 9 million while net profit was $233 million, up from a little more than $220 million.

In 2013 Ethiopian Airlines acquired a minority stake in Malawi Airlines to serve as a base for its southern Africa operations.

That kicked off a series of deals including January’s agreement with Zambia’s government to relaunch that country’s national carrier, shut down more than two decades ago.

The strategy is aimed at gaining a competitive advantage against rivals such as those in the Gulf, Tewolde said.

With Africa’s aviation industry still hampered by government protectionism and high taxes, Tewolde said that setting up or taking stakes in small carriers is a way around the restrictions.

Ethiopian Airlines aims to create a new airline in Mozambique that it will fully own, he said, adding that it is also in talks with Chad, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea to set up carriers through joint ventures.

Going forward, it will be difficult for us to compete with only one hub in Addis Ababa.

Although it isn’t all clear skies for the fast-growing carrier.

The economic downturn in Africa caused by the collapse of oil prices in 2014 has indirectly hit the continent’s airlines, and Ethiopian is unable to repatriate more than $145 million in profits from Angola, Sudan and Zimbabwe because of foreign exchange shortages, Tewolde said.

Running a business needs cash flow, he said. Here in Africa, we have a huge problem with this, Tewolde Gebremariam says.


Tourism Observer

USA: Turkish Airlines Buys 30 787 Dreamliners From Boeing

Boeing and Turkish Airlines have announced a firm order for 25 787-9 Dreamliners with options for five more airplanes.

The firm order will allow Turkey’s flag carrier to further meet the growing demand at its home airport, Istanbul’s third airport, and improve the flying experience for passengers.

With this firm order, first announced as a commitment last September, Turkish Airlines becomes the 71st customer to buy the 787.

Together, these customers have now ordered more than 1,300 Dreamliners, the fastest-selling twin-aisle airplane in Boeing history.

We are pleased to finalize a landmark agreement that will bring significant benefit to Turkish Airlines and Turkey’s aviation industry, said M. İlker Aycı, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee.

This firm order adds the 787 Dreamliner, one of the world’s most state-of-the-art airplanes, to our ever-expanding fleet in 2023, our Republic’s 100th year.

The 787 will significantly raise our passengers’ satisfaction and play an important role in our plans for our new hub, the new Istanbul airport.

This will accelerate the steady rise of our country’s flag carrier and support the growth of Turkish Civil Aviation.

Turkish Airlines has continued to expand its fleet of Boeing airplanes.

Recently, the airline grew its stable of 777 jets with a purchase of three more 777 Freighters.

The airline also uses electronic charts and some other services from Boeing Global Services to further optimize its operations and operational systems.

We are proud to extend our decades-long partnership with Turkish Airlines and we welcome them to the growing group of elite airlines who have made the 787 Dreamliner the most preferred mid-sized twin-aisle airplane today, said Kevin McAllister, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and Chief Executive Officer.

We are confident that Turkish Airlines will enjoy the Dreamliner’s unmatched fuel efficiency, range, and superior cabin features.



Tourism Observer

TURKEY: Turkish Airlines Awarded “Five-Star Global Airline”

Turkish Airlines, flying to more countries than any other airline, has been named a Five-Star Global Airline by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) Official Airline Ratings.

The prestigious award, based on passenger feedback, was presented to Turkish Airlines at the APEX Award Ceremony at Expo 2017 in Long Beach, California.

This five-star ranking reaffirms Turkish Airlines’ position as a global leader in passenger experience and comfort.

Turkish Airlines won several awards from the industry’s most respected organizations with its service quality, on-board and on the ground catering, Business Class and lounges.

These include; the Best Airline in Europe for the 6 consecutive year starting from 2011, Best Business Class Onboard Catering in 2013, 2014 and 2016, and 2017 and the World’s Best Business Class Lounge awards in 2015 and 2017.

The global carrier also picked up the Best Business Class Lounge Dining for the third consecutive years according to this year’ survey results of Skytrax, another widely acclaimed airline passenger survey organization in global.

Commenting on the airline’s latest accolade, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines M. İlker Aycı said; We strive to provide the best travel experience to our guests and having been named a Five Star Global Airline by passenger votes is the most valuable recognition that we can have in return.

What differentiates us is that while connecting our guests with their loved ones, we turn great ideas into reality that result in a travel experience full of unique services and delightful differences.

Touching our passengers’ hearts is the key factor that earned us a series of awards. This is our most important advantage over our competitors.

The APEX Official Airline Ratings are the industry's first rating program based solely on passengers' verified feedback.

This innovative industry program gathers passenger feedback based on travel itineraries and provides an audited third-party analysis of the insights gathered.



Tourism Observer

TURKEY: Somalia “one of our most profitable destinations worldwide " Turkish Airlines

In five years, Turkish Airlines has nearly tripled the number of destinations it flies to in Africa.

Turkish Airlines operating out of Istanbul on the edge of the Middle East, isn’t the only carrier in the region looking to find gold on the continent.

By the end of October, Flydubai, will operate 14 flights a week to Zanzibar and Tanzania, increasing capacity to East Africa by 133 percent. Since 2014, it has added 12 destinations to its network in Africa offering 80 flights per week.

Also during October, Etihad Airways has announced it will add seven weekly flights to Egypt as well as an additional one to Nigeria.

Emirates too is considering restoring capacity to Nigeria after cutting its four times weekly service last year, owing to a decline in the value of the Nigerian Naira.

Meanwhile, outside of the UAE, Oman Air has signed a codeshare agreement with Kenya Airways after curtailing weekly services to the country in 2004.

Resurgent economies across the continent are the primary factor in the increase in demand for travel across Africa.

Nigeria’s GDP growth rate for instance is expected to double this year, while weaknesses seen in the Egytian pound owing to a contraction in the supply of the dollar are also being seen to abate.

Currency weaknesses across Africa were cited as a key factor toward Emirates curtailing frequencies in Nigeria last year, according to president Tim Clark.

This year, tourist arrivals from Cairo, Abu Dhabi’s largest traffic market, are scheduled to increase to 6 million passengers in 2018 from 5 million in 2016.

And demand for air travel across Africa is expected to increase well beyond IATA’s estimated global traffic growth rate of 4.7 percent.

The trend has allowed a Turkish Airlines spokesperson to claim Somalia “one of our most profitable destinations worldwide,” . Almost a tenth of Turkish’s global passenger and cargo revenues now come from Africa.



Tourism Observer

New Private Jet Terminal For Sharjah Airport,Turkish Airlines Investments In Asia

Sharjah Airport Authority has signed an agreement with Gama Support Services to build and operate a new private jet terminal worth AED 110 million.

The new project will spread over more than 40,000 square metres and comprise two private jet hangars with a capacity of two large Boeing Business Jets each.

The facility will include resting areas and lounges, in addition to Duty Free shops and passport control and customs lanes. The project will also include an aircraft fuelling unit, aircraft parking apron for business jets and car parking spaces for terminal users and guests.

Gama Aviation is the sole service provider of ground services to the general aviation sector in Sharjah International Airport.

The agreements we have signed and the investment we are making here reflects our confidence in the prospective business of Sharjah economy, said Richard Lineveldt, general manager of Gama Support Services.

During the last few years, the general aviation market has witnessed growth in the number of business jets and private aircraft owners, and we expect this to continue on the short and long terms, he added.

Turkish Airlines chief is looking at buying stakes in airlines across India, China and the US. Speaking to reporters last month, the airline’s CEO Ilker Ayci mentioned he is looking at investing in equity stakes in airlines as a way to offset potential shocks from growing protectionism.

We have grown organically so far, but politicians are increasingly struggling for protectionism, Ayci was quoted to say. This is why we are investigating investment opportunities in other airlines with equity or as a non-equity partner.

This is a long-term strategy and it is too early to say whether it becomes a reality, he said.

Reports have mentioned Turkish Airlines is eyeing a stake in Italy’s troubled carrier Alitalia which is backed by Etihad. However, Ayci said he is averse to investing in weaker airlines.

Earlier this year Turkish Airlines signed an agreement with the government of Albania to create a joint venture and set up a new carrier to operate out of the country.

We will do our best, with all the accumulated experience we have as a company, to share it with our Albanian friends and brothers.

We are proceeding with great speed to take all the necessary steps for the realization of this project as soon as possible, Ayci during a press conference at the announcement.

TURKEY: 300,000 Tourists Expected To Tour Cappadocia In Hot Air Balloons 2017

Hot air balloon tours in the sky of central Turkey’s popular tourism destination Cappadocia attracts 120,000 tourists in the first half of 2017 boosting tourism revenue in the region, according to tour operators’ body.

120,000 people have explored Cappadocia from air in the first half of this year, Yakup Dinler, head of the Cappadocia Touristic Entrepreneurs Association (KAPTID) said.

The contribution to the economy of these 120,000 people was 18 million euro $20.5 million approximately, he adds.

The tourism body head expected that a total of 300,000 people would experience hot-air balloon tours by the end of this year which would see 40 million-euro ($45.6 million) income.

He said that following a bad year of Turkey’s tourism which was affected by several terror attacks and a deadly coup attempt in 2016, the tourism sector has entered to a recovery process in this year.

There is a slight increase in the number of international tourists compared with the last year, he added.

Dinler said that there are 25 hot air balloon agencies in Cappadocia which provide job facilities for nearly 2,500 people.

He underlined that the hot-air balloon tour price in Cappadocia was not as high as it is circulated or assumed.

Almost all foreign tourists, mainly from the far-East countries find hot-air balloon prices very affordable.

Cappadocia, located in the Anatolian region of Turkey, is preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage site and is famous for its chimney rocks, hot air balloon trips, underground cities and boutique hotels carved into rocks.

To get the authentic experience, tourists from all over the world prefer to experience Cappadocia’s landscapes and peak-like rock houses up in the sky.

Keeping the hot air balloon tour guides under strict control will offer tourists comfort, safety and will contribute to the region`s economy.

The hot air balloons are also being tracked by a GPS system, allowing the speed limit and distance of the air balloons to be detected.

Cappadocia is also famous with its authentic Turkish restaurants but also offers samples of international cuisines in dozens of dining spots.

The region has also been used as a natural film set for many film producers in the past.

Turkey's national air carrier, Turkish Airlines, or THY, offers daily flights to the Cappadocia region from Istanbul.



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TURKEY: US To Lift Laptop Ban On Flights From Ataturk AirportI

The United States is set to lift a ban on carrying large electronic devices, such as laptops, in the cabin of Us-bound flights from Turkey's main international airport, Turkish Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan said on Tuesday.

Arslan was quoted by state-run news agency Anadolu as saying the ban would be lifted on July 5 following a visit by a Us delegation.

Its removal would come after Turkey began using highly sophisticated tomography devices for X-ray and ultrasound at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport, he said.

US officials are to inspect the machines on Wednesday.

With this confirmation mission, the ban will be lifted from Ataturk airport and from Turkish Airlines, Arslan said.

So it is an advantage for us that this hasn't gone on too long, he added. Ataturk is the only airport in Turkey with direct flights to the United States.

Late Monday, Turkish Airlines chief executive Bilal Eksi said on Twitter he expected the ban to be lifted on Wednesday.

Arslan was quoted by NTV television as saying Turkey had also been talking with Britain about removing its ban on the transport of laptops in cabin baggage from Istanbul.

Britain imposed the ban on laptops on direct flights originating from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Turkey.

Flag-carrier Turkish Airlines, which has seen exponential international growth in recent years, had responded to the ban by offering laptops to business-class travellers in May.

The US on Sunday lifted a ban on passengers taking such devices on Etihad Airways flights from its base in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi, the first airliner to benefit from a removal of the ban

The decision came after the airline implemented enhanced security measures, a spokesman for the US Department of Homeland Security said.

The ban was put into place after intelligence officials learned of efforts by Islamic State jihadists to produce a bomb that could be secreted inside such devices.


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QATAR: Gulf Aviation May Change With Gulf Diplomatic Crisis

Qatar Airways has lost access to the airspace of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt and all flights from Doha to those countries; all of them have been canceled. Subsequently, those countries have been joined by Libya, Yemen, and the Maldives.

The loss of access is part of a broader cessation of diplomatic ties between those four states and Qatar due to concerns over purported Qatari sponsoring of terrorism and other issues.

It’s proper to understand the context of why this action was taken by the seven nations in question. Ostensibly, the claim is that these countries are unhappy with Qatar’s sponsoring of supposed terrorist activity, most notably Palestinian group Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. But there is clearly more at play.

As this Vox article points out, there are also tensions surrounding Qatar’s partially state-owned news agency Al Jazeera, and over Qatar’s relatively warm ties with the newly resurgent Iranian regime.

That last point speaks to what many consider to be the real driver behind this move—Saudi Arabia and the other Sunni nations fear an upset of the existing balance of power where Saudi Arabia is the regional leader of Sunni Islam and the de-factor regional kingpin of the Middle East.

Freed from sanctions by President Obama’s nuclear deal, the Shia Iranians are making a major push to get a seat at the table under the relatively reformist government of Hassan Rouhani. Saudi Arabia at least partially fears Iran’s rise and wants to bring Qatar more in line with other states in the region.

None of this has direct links to the aviation aspects per se, but it does suggest that even if Qatar gives in to some of Saudi Arabia’s demands such as cutting ties with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, and shutting down Al Jazeera, it is not a given that Qatar will once again be given free reign in the airspace of its neighboring countries.

First off, the shutdowns affect about 55 daily flights from Qatar Airways’ Doha hub, more than 10% of the total.

This is broken down as 25 flights to the UAE across four destinations including Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, 20 flights to Saudi Arabia across ten destinations, six flights to Bahrain, and five flights to Egypt across three destinations.

Even if the number of seats isn’t quite 10% of Qatar Airways’ total traffic, these four spoke markets particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia represent a non-trivial proportion of feed into Qatar Airways’ Doha hub. And there are certainly a few marginal routes whose business case will be impacted by not having this feed anymore.

The direct impact here is that 17 routes are being terminated, but the indirect impact on connectivity could kill another 10-15 or wipe out Qatar Airways’ profitability, forcing them to dip into the sovereign wealth fund to subsidize the airline.

The airspace impact for the moment is tangible but manageable so long as Bahrain continues to allow the one route through its airspace. The odd routings required by this airspace configuration add anywhere from fifty to several hundred miles to Qatar Airways’ flight paths, and that is a non-trivial cost impact,at first glance our estimate is $50-75 million on an annualized basis.

In the long run, this would also constrain Qatar Airways’ growth as that one pathway through Bahraini airspace is already bursting at the seams at Qatar Airways’ current level of operations.

Things get really crazy, however, if Bahrain blocks off that one pathway as well, thereby cutting Qatar off aerially from the rest of the world,remember the airspace ban also applies to other carriers operating in Qatar. At that point, Qatar Airways would have to shut down, or more likely its government would capitulate.

Now with the caveat as with the laptop ban that this could all be moot and resolved within 36 hours or so and certainly within a couple of weeks, either of the two scenarios would have a pretty massive impact on the shape of global aviation.

The traffic that currently flies Qatar Airways (26.6 million passengers) would be broken up and dispersed amongst the airline’s rivals in the Middle East Emirates, Etihad, and Turkish Airlines as well as back to home country carriers Saudia, Air India, etc.

Qatar Airways currently has 217 passenger aircraft on order (including 171 wide-bodies) and thus represents a nontrivial portion of Airbus and Boeing’s backlogs by aircraft value. The biggest adverse impact would be on the 777X,it has 60 on order or a fifth of that program’s backlog and the A350-1000 about a sixth of the program’s backlog.

To a lesser extent, the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777-300ER would also be affected, and those companies would lose at least hundreds of millions of dollars if not billions of dollars in market capital.

Even the less aggressive scenario of no service to the four feeder countries will likely trigger a series of deferrals and maybe the cancellation of 10% of the backlog,along with either the A320neo family or 737 MAX family order.

Here the major systemic risk is to the A380 and especially the 777X as the A350, and 787 have enough demand to fill deferred slots with other customers. On the airline side, the same effect would occur regarding traffic being redistributed to Middle Eastern rivals and to home country carriers,in this case Saudia and Egyptair are the big winners.

Once again that caveat is that this could all be resolved within a few days. But if things develop adversely, this has the potential to change the contours of global aviation.

Airlines In Network Expansion

Two European flag carriers (KLM and SAS) both made the top 15, while British Airways and Lufthansa both only just missed out.

British Airways has done quite well at growing its route network from London Heathrow during the last couple of years. This got our data elves wondering which of Europe’s flag carriers has seen the biggest growth in its route network from its home base in recent times.

The criteria selected was to compare the number of destinations served non-stop at least seven times during 2015 from the airline’s biggest hub,usually serving the country’s main airport in the capital city with the number of destinations served non-stop at least seven times during the whole of 2016 and 2017.

This allows for inclusion of those seasonal services that may only operate once per week during the peak summer period. Some liberties were taken with SAS being counted as the flag carrier for Denmark, Norway and Sweden while Aegean Airlines was designated the national carrier of Greece.

Consideration was given to examining the largest carriers at capital city airports that no longer have an obvious national airline,such as in Cyprus, Hungary or Slovakia but this was rejected for this analysis.

If this kind of analysis had been undertaken a couple of years ago the winner would most likely have been Turkish Airlines, but due to recent events in the country the airline’s network growth has slowed somewhat, though it still serves more destinations non-stop from its Istanbul Atatürk hub than any of its rivals do from their hubs.

However, the European flag carrier airline that will have celebrated the most new route launches in the last two years, come 31 December 2017, will be LOT Polish Airlines, which has seen its network from Warsaw Chopin grow by 28 destinations from 46 in 2015 to 74 in 2016-17.

Many of these ‘new’ routes are actually service resumptions after the carrier cut routes as part of a deal with the EU regarding financial support. LOT was given permission to grow its route network once more from the beginning of 2016 and since then the Star Alliance member has been busy making up for lost time.

While the rapid network growth is indeed impressive it is worth noting that way back in 2010 the airline was already serving more than 70 destinations non-stop from the Polish capital.

Finnair’s rapid growth from its Helsinki base has been more genuine, with the oneworld carrier starting several, low-frequency, seasonal, leisure destinations to its network in S16 and S17.

In 2016 the airline began new routes to Billund, Edinburgh, Fukuoka, Guangzhou, Preveza, Puerto Plata, Pula, Rimini, Santorini, Skiathos, Varadero, Varna, Verona and Zakinthos.

This year it has already added service to Alicante and Reykjavik/Keflavik with additional new connections to Astana, Corfu, Goa, Havana, Ibiza, Menorca, Puerto Vallarta and San Francisco set to begin before the end of the year.

KLM’s net gain of 21 new non-stop destinations includes new routes in 2016 to Alicante, Astana, Dresden, Dublin, Genoa, Ibiza, Inverness, Salt Lake City, Southampton, Tehran and Valencia, as well as new services which have either already launched, or will be shortly, to Cagliari, Catania, Freetown, Gdansk, Graz, Malaga, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Porto and Split.

Despite the capacity constraints face by the carrier at Heathrow, British Airways has managed to grow its route network by almost 20 destinations since 2015.

Last year the oneworld carrier added new routes from Europe’s busiest airport to Asturias, Biarritz, Billund, Chania, Doha, Innsbruck, Inverness, Kalamata, Menorca, Muscat, Palermo, San Jose and Tehran, while 2017 will see the UK flag carrier add links to Brindisi, Montpellier, Murcia, Nantes, New Orleans, Pula, Santiago (Chile), Tallinn and Zakinthos.

In terms of destinations served non-stop, Turkish Airlines is way out in front among Europe’s flag carriers with non-stop flights in 2017 to almost 270 destinations, more than any other airline from a single airport anywhere in the world.

In Europe, Lufthansa is in a clear second place with its Frankfurt hub, though the battle for third place is pretty close between Air France, British Airways and KLM. A total of 10 national airlines offer non-stop flights to at least 100 destinations.

The main airports in Denmark (Copenhagen) and Sweden (Stockholm Arlanda) both offer almost 90 destinations with SAS. However, the Scandinavian carrier’s network from Oslo is rather smaller with fewer than 60 destinations served.

CHINA: China Southern Airlines Doubles Flights From London Heathrow To Guangzhou From 1 June 2017.

China Southern Airlines, Asia’s largest airline, will double its daily departures from London Heathrow to Guangzhou from 1 June 2017.

Introduced in response to the popularity of the route, the new daily service will be serviced by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, an aircraft acclaimed for its fuel efficiency, spacious interior and lightweight construction.

Dreamliners have also proven popular with travellers for their lighting and environmental systems that minimise jet lag – a welcome feature for this eleven and a half hour journey.

The year-round service currently operates once per day from Heathrow’s Terminal 4.

The later departure time of the new service, also from Terminal 4, will provide shorter transfer times to many of the airline’s network of over 120 destinations in China, Japan & Korea, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand from their Guangzhou hub.

Nick Newman, Commercial Manager for UK & Ireland, said: “Our mission is to make diverse destinations like China more accessible for UK travellers, so we’re thrilled to be able to add a second daily flight from London to Guangzhou.

“The new flight frequency brings our total weekly departures between Western Europe and China to 41 and firmly signifies our continued expansion.”

A proud member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance, the 4-star airline is the 4th largest in the world, flying to more than 200 destinations across 40+ countries.

The new flight schedule will operate at the following times:

CZ604: Departs London Heathrow 12.35, arrives at Guangzhou 07.10

CZ304: Departs London Heathrow 22.35, arrives Guangzhou 17.05

CZ603: Departs Guangzhou 00.55, arrives London Heathrow 06.35

CZ303: Departs Guangzhou 09.30, arrives London Heathrow 15.05

Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines will boost services to Thailand with the introduction of non-stop flights to Phuket. Istanbul – Phuket (HKT) – Istanbul flights are planned as 4 flights per week and will be launched as of July 17, 2017.

Phuket Island is the gateway to the southern part of Thailand making it easier for people to expand their travels to Khao Lak, Phang-nga, Koh Samui, Trang, as well as Krabi and Koh Lipe. Known for its abundance of white, sandy beaches and easy access to the Andaman Sea for world class diving, Phuket has grown in popularity as an international destination, welcoming more than six million visitors to the island in the first five months of 2015

Turkish Airlines executive in Thailand, Abdullah Ahmet Tuğcu, told journalists that the first expedition from Istanbul to Phuket will be on July 17 and there would be four flights a week. He also noted that Turkish Airlines offered 14 flights a week to the capital of Thailand, Bangkok, and two flights a day.

Tuğcu said passengers could also fly the Bangkok-Saigon line via Turkish Airlines.

The abolition of tourist visas between Turkey and Thailand in 2012 had considerably boosted passenger traffic.

“As of November, we scheduled two flights in a day in the winter season for the first time,” Tuğcu added.

NAMIBIA: Air Namibia And Turkish Airlines Sign Codeshare

Air Namibia (SW) and Turkish Airlines (TK) signed a codeshare agreement within yesterday. The agreement that will be effective as from March 1st, covers routes between Turkey and Namibia, and set to expand the travel opportunities for the passengers of two airlines.

The signing ceremony took place at Turkish Airlines’ Headquarters in İstanbul. Namibia Deputy Minister of Works & Transport honorable Sankwasa James Sankwasa and Turkish Airlines Deputy Chairman and CEO, Bilal Ekşi signed the deal in the presence of senior officials from both sides.

This new codeshare agreement is bound to broaden the commercial partnership between two companies and their respective countries. At the same time, passengers of both airlines will be given more travel options between Namibia and Turkey.

Under the terms of the agreement, Air Namibia and Turkish Airlines are planning to place codes on unilateral flights of SW on Windhoek – Johannesburg v.v. / Windhoek – Frankfurt v.v., and unilateral flights of TK on İstanbul – Johannesburg v.v. / İstanbul – Frankfurt v.v.

Also it has been considered that, when SW introduces the Windhoek – İstanbul v.v. flights in future, this codeshare agreement will be expanded by placing the code to include beyond İstanbul flights.

Honorable Sankwasa expressed their satisfaction with this commercial partnership with a well-established and rapidly growing carrier like Turkish Airlines, which enjoys a broad route network.

He also expressed that they are happy to conduct this codeshare agreement with Turkish Airlines and also added that the deal will be a crucial experience for them.

Honourable Sankwasa further stated that he is confident about this cooperation which will be fruitful for both sides and will be enlarged very soon.

“Air Namibia is a small airline and in order to improve its competitiveness in this high competitive industry, it is important to have a strategic partner, as Turkish Airlines who placed on the top to become a partner with. We believe that this will be just one of the many areas of cooperation between Turkish Airlines and Air Namibia.” Honourable Sankwasa further stated.

“We are pleased to sign this codeshare agreement with Air Namibia and aim to improve our partnership to maximize the travel opportunities offered our passengers through our flight networks.

Air Namibia continues its expanding successfully, and we believe that this partnership between Turkish Airlines and Air Namibia will bring benefit to both carriers, not only from a commercial perspective, but also in cultural interactions between Turkey and Namibia while promoting business travel between two countries.” said Turkish Airlines’ Deputy Chairman and CEO, Mr. Bilâl Ekşi, as commenting on the agreement.

Boeing B747 Operated By MyCargo Was Leased By Turkish Airlines

ACT Airlines issued this statement:

“Respectfully announced to the public,
ACT Airlines is deeply saddened to report that an accident happened during the flight from HongKong to Bishkek by Boeing 747-400 TC-MCL registered cargo aircraft at 01:20 Z. The cause of the accident is unknown at this time and further details will be provided as they become available.
Yours sincerely,
ACT AIRLINES”

ACT Airlines, a.k.a. ACT Havayollari, operating as MyCargo Airlines, is a Turkish cargo airline based in the Ekinci Residence Building Level 7, in Kurtköy, Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkish Airlines issued this statement:

“A cargo flight with TC-MCL registration number, operated by ACT Airlines, departed from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) to Bishkek Manas International Airport (FRU) had an accident near Bishkek at around 01:40 UTC.

Please kindly be informed that, neither the aircraft nor the crew are the members of Turkish Airlines. If you wish to make any citation to your report, please refer to Mr. Yahya ÜSTÜN, SVP Media Relations of Turkish Airlines.”

ACT is leasing planes to several major airlines including Qatar Airways, Saudia and Turkish Airlines.

The last accident before today’s deadly crash was recorded in 2010 in Afghanistan

A scene of horror is developing in Kyrgyzstan, where a Turkish Airlines Boeing 747 crashed into a residential neighborhood close to Manas Airport on Monday morning. Manas International Airport is the main international airport in Kyrgyzstan located 25 kilometers north-northwest of the capital Bishkek.

A Turkish Airlines Boeing 747 freighter jet tried to land in dense fog, Kyrgyz officials said. The plane was operated by Turkish Airlines under flight number TK6491.

The flight took off in Hongkong. So far the Kyrgyzstan ministry of health said, at least 32 local residents, including 5 children were killed plus the pilots. This number is most likely to increase. Firefighters are on the chaotic scene.

The majority of the dead are from the nearby village of Dacha-Suu where the plane – a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul from Hong Kong via Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek -crashed at around 7.30am local time, a spokesman for the country’s emergency services ministry revealed.

At least 15 homes destroyed after Turkish Airlines plane crash.

Airport officials said there was an unknown number of crew members onboard the plane but no passengers.

Kyrgyz First Deputy Prime Minister Mukhammetkaly Abulgaziev and Emergencies Minister Kubatbek Boronov are at the crash scene.

Officials said Manas airport is operating normally.

The number dead is based on reports Rescue workers have recovered the body of one pilot and 15 local people whose houses were in the Boeing 747 jet’s crash area.

USA: Alaska Airlines And Virgin America Expand To Dallas Love Field,Turkish Introduces New Product

Virgin America and Alaska Airlines are expanding service to Dallas Love Field from four West Coast airports. With new routes between Love Field and Seattle; San Diego; Portland, Oregon; and San Jose, California, the combined airline will serve eight destinations from Love Field with 18 daily peak season departures, up 40 percent.

Four months into its merger with Virgin America, Alaska Airlines has announced unprecedented growth from the West Coast, adding a record 37 new markets to date.

The new Love Field expansion builds on Alaska's successful service to Texas, which began 12 years ago. After today's announcement, Alaska Airlines and Virgin America will offer guests 59 peak season flights a day to/from five Texas airports, including Austin, Dallas Fort Worth, Dallas Love Field, Houston and San Antonio.

The four new routes will be flown using three-class jets. The Embraer 175 jet, operated by SkyWest Airlines, will fly daily to Portland, San Diego, San Jose and Seattle.

One of the two daily flights to Seattle will be operated by Virgin America using an A320 family aircraft. All guests flying the new routes will enjoy Free Chat, free movies, premium food and beverages, Wi-Fi and advance seat selection.

Starting this summer, Virgin America jets will be replaced with a 76-seat E175 jet in two Love Field markets – New York's LaGuardia Airport and Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National Airport. On Aug. 27, three-times daily service to New York's LaGuardia Airport will operate using an E175 and increase to four daily flights on Oct. 28.

Starting Feb. 18, twice-daily service to Reagan National Airport will also be replaced with an E175. The third daily Love Field-Washington Reagan National daily trip will continue to be operated by Virgin America until March 11, when SkyWest will take over the evening flight. As part of these schedule changes, Virgin America will permanently exit Love Field-Las Vegas on Aug. 26.

The fleet changes will free up Virgin America planes used in Love Field, to fly new, previously announced long-haul San Francisco flights to Philadelphia, New Orleans, Nashville, Indianapolis, Raleigh-Durham and Kona, as well as new flights between Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Virgin America will continue to operate three daily flights between Love Field and Los Angeles and three daily flights between Love Field and San Francisco. Additionally, all Virgin America employees in Dallas and LaGuardia are keeping their jobs. There is no change in employment status for any teammates as a result of this announcement.

Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines takes in-flight experience even further. Having the passenger’ satisfaction as the airline’s priority, wide on-board selection of the carrier continues to be broadened in order to reach the widest range of passengers’ requests.

Yet another innovation developed by Turkish Airlines to enable its business class passengers to enjoy the best Turkish hospitality within the concept of privileged travel.

Living garden concept including new cosmetics consisting of hand lotion, hand soap and room odor branded with Molton Brown –a brand identified with refreshment, naturalness and luxury-, are presented on specially designed wooden stands with live plants in business class lavatories.

The flowers and green plants placed in the lavatories within the scope of the project make passengers feel like in a flower garden above the sky.

PHILIPPINES: Viability Of Philippine Tourism Under President Duterte

A group of travel executives, joined by a team from the ABS-CBN Europe news bureau, flew from the United Kingdom to Manila and Boracay Island to test the viability of Philippine tourism under the new leadership of the crime-busting president President Duterte.

The goal was to see what the country has to offer British tourists, as violence amid the President's relentless anti-crime campaign is seen to potentially have a negative impact on the tourism industry.

The tough leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte, whose war on drugs has left thousands of suspected users and pushers dead, has alarmed some local tourism operators. They fear extrajudicial killings related to the anti-drug campaign might discourage tourists from visiting Boracay or the Philippines.

More than 7,000 people have died in the anti-drug war, but the Duterte administration has maintained that less than half could be attributed to police anti-drug operations.

But the executives are optimistic.

UK-based travel executive John Kalia, director of Crystal Travel, in partnership, with Turkish Airlines, organized the familiarization tour on Boracay island to better market the beach destination to European travellers.

The 7-day trip included a quick tour of Manila’s financial district in Makati, the Luneta Park, and the historic Fort Santiago and Intramuros.

The tour also included a visit to the oldest premier hotel in the Philippines, the Manila Hotel, the penthouse of which served as the residence of General Douglas MacArthur during his tenure as military advisor in the Philippines during the Commonwealth government. The hotel has since housed world leaders, royals and iconic stars.

Three nights were then spent in Boracay, Aklan.

Boracay continues to attract local and foreign tourists. During the first half of 2016, almost one million tourists visited the island, an increase of 15 percent from the previous year.

Tourist arrivals are good for local business.

“With the booming of Boracay, with hotels coming in, I think mas maganda pa ang future ng Boracay. For this year, we already sold 50 percent of the total number of rooms, until December of 2018. It’s good for us. The trend is going up. In fact, we are building more rooms this year. We are building at least 114 first and maybe (total of) 200 more rooms,” said Darvin Chia, General Manager of Crown Regency Hotels and Resorts.

Last year, Boracay was named the best island in the world by Conde Naste Traveller, beating other Philippine beach destinations such as Palawan and Cebu. With this image boost, Kalia is confident his agents could better sell the Philippines to British holidaymakers.

“The key selling point I believe is the city, Manila, which has a lot of history, and you have the islands. Obviously, Philippines is famous for its 7,000 plus islands, and Boracay has been a great experience, where you have an island atmosphere,” said Kalia.

He added: “It was a great experience. You wouldn’t really do that with Thailand and other competitive countries, where you soak up the sun and have value for money.”

The travel executives who came to see Boracay and experienced the hospitality of the locals are impressed.

“It's the sea, it's the culture, it's the history. It's a beautiful place. I would recommend it to my friends,” said Uzma Adil, Sales and Markeing executive of Turkish Airlines.

Many of them also agree that the country’s tourism will not be a casualty of the president’s war on drugs.

TURKEY: Turkish Airlines Makes Losses In 17 Years

Turkish Airlines became the latest Middle East carrier to report a fall in fortunes this year, reporting a $350 million operating loss for the year.

The figure compares with a $682 million profit figure in 2015 which suffered due to terrorism and a tenuous political environment in Turkey which led to the lowest traffic figures through the country in a decade.

The carrier suspended 30 aircraft and 22 destinations in November last year. Despite this, passengers travelling with the airline increased over the year, although “moderately” according to Chairman Ilker Ayci.

“From 2018 onwards, we will be seeing our historical growth rates,” he added.