Turkish Airlines has announced plans to increase services between Birmingham and Istanbul from ten flights a week to twelve from March 29, 2015, offering more domestic and international connections to passengers from the Midlands.
Selim Ozturk, General Manager for Birmingham, Turkish Airlines said, ‘Outside of London, Birmingham is the UK’s third largest airport, handling more than 9.5 million passengers a year and serving 140 direct destinations worldwide. Over the summer months, these numbers are expected to soar as residents of Birmingham and surrounding areas embark on their summer vacations.
‘In 2014, we saw our passenger numbers increase by 8% from January to December, compared to the same period in 2013. As Istanbul is a hot destination for long weekend breaks and extended summer holidays, Turkish Airlines will be increasing its weekly flight services from Birmingham to Istanbul to twelve per week from March. The new flights will provide additional domestic and international connections to our passengers travelling from Birmingham.
Paul Kehoe, Chief Executive, Birmingham Airport, added, ‘Turkish Airlines’ Birmingham operation has gone from strength to strength because it has listened to the market and given customers what they want.
We are therefore very proud to have Turkish Airlines operating from Birmingham and delighted that it is further committing to the region by increasing frequencies to Istanbul and beyond.’
Separately, UAE-based Emirates has announced a third daily service from Birmingham Airport to Dubai, becoming the first airline to offer a direct First Class service to the region.
Starting from Saturday August 1, 2015, Emirates flight EK41 will depart Dubai International Airport at 0235hrs and arrive in Birmingham at 0705hrs. The outbound flight EK42 will depart Birmingham Airport at 0910hrs and arrive in Dubai at 1910hrs. The additional service adds seven more inbound flights a week to Dubai for Birmingham, increasing passenger and cargo capacity on the route by 50 percent.
Hubert Frach, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President – Commercial Operations West, said: ‘Dubai has proven to be an increasingly strong market for leisure and business travellers residing in the West Midlands. The additional daily flight to Dubai from Birmingham will give our customers greater flexibility in their travel plans, departing from their local airport. Customers can experience the ease of flying to Dubai and connect seamlessly to other flights on Emirates’ extensive network such as East Asia.
As part of our continued commitment, we’re excited to become the first airline offering First Class to the region.’
