Turkish Airlines and Air Namibia to link up

Turkish Airlines, which has the world’s fourth-largest flight network, is the process of partnering with Air Namibia to link the two countries, and an agreement in this regard was signed in February. The agreement focuses on areas of code-sharing, airport management, staff training, and cooperation on technical matters. It will see Windhoek and Istanbul linked through another country before the end of the year. The Turkish Ambassador to Namibia, Deniz Cakar, said a direct link between the two countries is of great importance in light of the fast-growing economic and commercial relations and tourism between the two countries. The flight link will cut the travel time between the two countries by about seven hours. She added that the trade volume between the two countries has been growing fast over the past few years, from US$7 million (N$84.7 million) in 2013 to US$12.9 million (N$156.1 million) in 2014. Catar said the volume of trade continues to grow fast and by March this year it had increased to US$20 million (N$242 million). It will soar even higher if there is a direct link between the two countries. She said talks on a direct flight from Windhoek to Istanbul are continuing and might materialise in a few years’ time. At the moment, Namibians fly to South Africa and wait there about five hours before taking a connecting flight to Turkey. Speaking to Namibian Sun in an exclusive interview in Istanbul recently, the president and CEO of Turkish Airlines, Temel Kotil, said the airline’s strategic move was to make it affordable for middle-class citizens to fly. “In the past years, only Turkish elites were supposed to fly and we changed this and our GDP grew about four times last year, and our income per capita grew four times. “In the past 12 years, the number of middle-class passengers grew and the airline has increased capacity and also made it cheaper for people to fly,” said Kotil. He said the airline wants to help African countries do the same and this would help to boost the continent’s economy. “Africa is very important to Turkey and we see how it grows. I am happy about the strides the continent is making and I believe in the continent. “But, it is the same as it was in Turkey in the past, and only the elite can fly whenever they want, so we are happy to help them with processes to change this as we did in our own country,” said Kotil. He said when the middle class are able to fly then it makes it easier for them to do business on a broader basis. Kotil said the airline’s wish is to be able to go to every major and medium-size African city in the near future. “Our product is good and at low cost. Africa is big and the middle class should grow and when more people can fly that means more business and we need millions of people to be able to make money to feed their families and educate their children. “This is what has happened in Turkey over the past decade. Companies in Africa are very active but unfortunately Turkey is not really involved in the continent. “Our fare is half of the other countries, making flying affordable. We can give capacity and reasonable fares and we still make our profit because we are doing very well,” he said. According to Kotil, the airline flies to over 40 destinations all over Africa but only to South Africa and Angola in Southern Africa. “We are looking to Southern Africa and Namibia is both politically and economically viable so we are hoping to get this process done as soon as possible.” Kotil said Air Namibia will take time to grow but Turkey can help link the airline to many European and other countries. “Turkey is so developed now and we can offer a lot in different markets. We are the 16th largest economy in the world.” He added that although some processes might take time, eventually they will be concluded. “We want to develop other economies especially in Africa and this starts with us linking Africa to the world,” said Kotil. The number of passengers on Turkish Airline has grown ten times over the past few years, with passenger numbers going from 25 million to 123 million, and the airline is targeting 128 million. As of February this year, it operates scheduled services to 261 destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, making it the fourth-largest carrier in the world by number of destinations. The Turkish Airlines fleet consists of 254 passenger and nine cargo planes. On April 1, 2008, Turkish Airlines joined the Star Alliance, becoming the seventh European airline in the 20-member alliance. In December 2011, the Turkish government unveiled plans to modernise the Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, which became one of the newest flight destinations of the carrier in 2012. The rehabilitation project is part of Turkey’s broader engagement in the local post-conflict reconstruction process. Among the scheduled renovations are new airport systems and infrastructure, including a modern control tower to monitor the airspace. In March 2012, Turkish Airlines became the first international carrier to resume flights to Somalia since the start of that country’s civil war in the early 1990s. It is the only airline that flies to Somalia. Meanwhile, an international team of architects is working on the design of Istanbul’s planned new €10.2 billion airport (N$131.6 billion), which is expected to boast the world’s biggest terminal complex. The gateway is set to boast three runways and a super-size terminal capable of handling 90 million passengers per year when it opens in October 2017. Its capacity will eventually reach 150 million passengers per year, the first of two planned development phases being activated. Located 35 kilometres from the centre of Istanbul on a 7 650-hectare site close to the Black Sea, the gateway will replace Atatürk Airport and provide the capacity needed to support the continued rapid growth of air traffic and the hub operations of Turkish Airlines. ISTANBUL/WINDHOEK NAMENE HELMICH