TURKISH Airlines landed
for the first time in Durban
on November 5, where the
airline’s Airbus A330-300 was
greeted with a traditional water
cannon salute.
The airline now flies to
Durban on Mondays, Tuesdays,
Thursdays and Saturdays
as an extension of its direct
Istanbul-Johannesburg route.
Speaking at the inauguration
ceremony at King Shaka
International Airport, Ilker Ayci,
Turkish Airlines’ chairman of
the board, said the airline was
looking at introducing daily
direct frequencies to Durban in
the near future. “Our decision
to launch this flight was driven
by an increased demand for
international travel to Durban.”
Ilker said 2015 was the
‘Year of Africa’ for Turkish
Airlines, with the launch of
routes to Bamako in Mali,
Maputo in Mozambique, a
direct flight to Cape Town and
now the Durban route. “It is a
breakthrough, considering that
we flew to only 10 destinations
in Africa 10 years ago. Now we
fly to 46 destinations on the
continent; more than any other
airline.”
KwaZulu Natal economic
development, tourism and
environmental affairs MEC,
Michael Mabuyakhulu, added
that Turkish Airlines was an
important strategic partner
for KZN, as the airline flew to
many destinations in Eastern
Europe, including Russia,
which is part of BRICS.
“Turkish Airlines’ footprint in
that part of the world will be
of fundamental importance to
help develop and build strong
trade relations with Eastern
Europe,” he said
Turkish lands in Durban
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