Turkish Airlines' flight network world's #1: CEO

<p>By Fikret Delal</p> <p>RIZE, Turkey (AA) – Turkey’s national flag carrier flies to more countries than any other airline in the world, Turkish Airlines’ CEO said on Wednesday.</p> <p>Speaking at the Turkish Airlines – Turkey's Evolving Face panel at Recep Tayyip Erdogan University in Rize, in Turkey’s Black Sea region, Bilal Eksi said the airline also flies to countries where there is no Turkish embassy.</p> <p>“We fly to 34 countries in Africa,” Eksi said. “We connect the continent to the world through Istanbul.&quot;</p> <p>Highlighting the case of Somalia, in the Horn of Africa, he said there is no other international airline offering service to Somalia, while Turkish Airlines connects Somalia to 124 countries.</p> <p>Eksi said the company also contributes to Turkey’s tourism sector with every flight, adding:</p> <p>“We don’t just carry passengers, but also culture, tourism, and develop business with entrepreneurs.&quot;</p> <p>He also said the country's national flag carrier is one of Turkey’s most influential “soft power” tools.</p> <p>Eksi stressed that Turkish Airlines currently has a fleet of over 330 aircraft, including passenger and cargo planes, an over fivefold rise from its fleet of 65 in 2003.</p> <p>“In terms of fleet size, our company is the number 10 airline in the world,” he said.</p> <p>Pointing to the company’s huge cargo network, Eksi said Turkish Cargo — a division of Turkish Airlines — ranks number two in Europe.</p> <p>“We aim to be one of the top two [companies] in the world,” he said. “Towards this end, our efforts will continue.”</p> <p>Eksi added that over 10 percent of Turkish Airlines’ revenues come from carrying mail.</p> <p>Turkish Airlines, founded in 1933, flies to more than 300 destinations in over 120 countries.</p> <p>Last year, the company carried 75.2 million passengers with a seat occupancy rate of 82 percent, and this year aims to reach 80 million passengers on domestic and international routes.</p> <p>The airline’s net profit reached 4.04 billion Turkish liras ($753 million) last year, up from 639 million liras ($223 million) in 2017.</p> <p><br></p> <p>*Writing and contributions by Dilara Hamit from Ankara</p> <p> </p> <p> </p><br>