Turkish Airline eyes Seychelles route |12 October 2012

The president and chief executive of Turkish Airline, Temel Kotil, has said that Turkish Airline is very interested to study and consider the possibility of flying to Seychelles.

Dr Kotil said this during talks he had with members of the Seychelles Investment Board (SIB) and the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) on the sidelines of the recent investment forum which was led by Minister Pierre Laporte, the Minister responsible for Finance, Trade and Investment.

The talks held in Istanbul, Turkey with Dr Kotil were led by Bernadette Willemin, the STB’s director responsible for the European markets.

Speaking after the talks, Mrs Willemin said any additional flights to service our destination can only be beneficial for our tourism business.

“This will help give further boost in our quest to grow our European tourism market share and also to develop new markets using Istanbul as a hub. Turkey is seen as a European hub for many travelers,” she said. 

Mrs Willemin further noted that if this possibility materializes, it will also provide another option for trade and potential air cargo transportation between Seychelles and Turkey.

Turkish Airline, which has been rated as best airline in Europe for four consecutive years since 2009, currently flies to 203 destinations and 97 countries.

Dr Kotil pointed out that the airline has a strong presence in the African region; currently undertaking daily flights to South Africa and also flying to Dar es Salaam, Kigali and Luanda.

He further noted that the interest to explore the Seychelles route will increase now that the airline will be starting flights to the Maldives next month.

Mrs Willemin said the preliminary talks have established the basis for important discussions between the Seychelles ministry responsible for transport, the Seychelles ministry responsible for tourism and the STB, the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA), other concerned parties and Turkish Airline authorities.

Mrs Willemin described the talks as very fruitful and encouraging and said STB remains at the disposal of Turkish Airline for further communication and a possible joint partnership.