U.S. Flights And Cargo Play Key Role In Recovery

Bilal Ekşi, CEO, normal supervisor and member of the board, of Turkish Airways is bullish on the airline’s future because it emerges from pandemic challenges. Earlier than taking the helm of the airline, he served as the top of overhaul workshops (upkeep) for the airline earlier than turning into chief floor operations officer and later chief manufacturing officer for Turkish Technic.

Ekşi later served because the director normal of civil aviation for Turkey and serves as a member of the Council of Worldwide Civil Aviation Group (ICAO). His many years of expertise in aviation positions the Star Alliance-member airline nicely for unstable financial instances. He shares how the airline dealt with pandemic challenges and an airline replace on the place he sees the service reworking within the coming years.

How did Turkish adapt capability in the course of the pandemic?

Throughout the pandemic, worldwide passenger visitors slowed, however home demand performed an essential function for the airline. Whereas worldwide passenger numbers solely reached 25% of 2019 ranges, home passenger visitors reached 72%. The airline carried 2.64 billion home passengers and 1.85 billion worldwide passengers in 2019. Evaluate that with 2021 when the service flew a complete of 1.78 billion home passengers and solely 511 million on worldwide flights. Home enterprise turned essential.

The income losses of 2020 and 2021 melted the income of the previous seven years, however restoration is on the way in which. In the meanwhile, the Americas have been a number one area for restoration. Turkish elevated its capability by 8.6% in comparison with 2019 and added a number of new locations. Within the first quarter of 2022, our most in-demand markets in North America have been New York, Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles.

Complete fourth-quarter income from 2021 exceeded that of the identical quarter in 2019. For the whole yr, 2021 income reached 81% of 2019 numbers producing $10.7 billion.

How did cargo issue into restoration plans?

By taking agile motion towards the lower in passenger visitors and disruptions within the provide chain, Turkish Airways remodeled greater than 30 passenger planes for cargo operations and rose to fifth place within the 2021 international rating for cargo, excluding integrators. The quantity of cargo carried in 2021 elevated by 21.7% in comparison with 2019. On this interval, we served 98 airports in 72 nations by freighter plane.

Cargo income nearly tripled within the fourth quarter of 2021 and greater than doubled in 2021, in comparison with the identical durations of 2019 and reached $4 billion for all of final yr. On this interval, Turkish Airways managed to cut back operational bills by 25.6% in comparison with 2019, leading to a web revenue of $959 million.

Are there any new locations on the drawling board?

In 2021, we expanded to 9 new locations: Newark and Dallas/Fort Price, USA; Vancouver, Canada; Urmia, Iran; Turkistan and Aktau, Kazakhstan; Fergana and Urgench, Uzbekistan; and Luanda, Angola.

This yr, the airline launched Cebu, Philippines and Seattle/Tacoma, USA, which turned the 12^th U.S. gateway and the airline’s 335th vacation spot. New cities deliberate for the community embrace Denver and Detroit, USA; Sialkot, Pakistan; and Juba, South Sudan pending market situations.

This yr, the airline debuted a worldwide promoting marketing campaign throughout Tremendous Bowl LVI, starring Morgan Freeman, showcasing the airline’s route map, which gives flights to extra nations than some other airline on the planet.

Has Turkish introduced again full onboard service?

Turkish Airways is understood for award-winning delicacies and Turkish hospitality, however consistent with further coronavirus-related measures in 2020, the airline made momentary adjustments to meal providers on flights. As of Might 2021 and in accordance with well being protocols, Turkish Airways has returned to providing full premium menus ready with contemporary elements from Turkish DO & CO.

The Flying Cooks program provided on all long-distance flights (and a few quick distance flights), has resumed, too, giving passengers the possibility to really feel like they’re eating in a restaurant above the clouds. Turkish was the primary airline to supply enterprise class candlelight eating on flights of eight hours or longer.

What are the longer term fleet plans for Turkish Airways?

The airline at present hass one of many world’s youngest and most fashionable fleets contemplating its measurement. We’ve got 371 plane (247 narrow-body and 104 wide-body planes) together with 20 cargo plane. In 2021, three wide-body and 18 narrow-body plane joined the fleet with extra Airbus A321neo, A350 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes on the way in which. The 15 B787-9 Dreamliners and 6 A350-900 flying from varied U.S. and different long-haul locations function the airline’s latest enterprise class product.

When do you suppose the flight community shall be absolutely restored?

Attributable to ongoing results from the pandemic and varied nation restrictions, particularly within the Far East, it can take a while. The present community and capability are continuously adjusted to market situations, which suggests the community re-balances itself based mostly on demand. Some markets, like North America, are doing higher than earlier than the pandemic. In keeping with the newest, the airline reached 91% of whole capability within the first quarter of 2022 in comparison with the identical interval of 2019. In North America, capability jumped to 142% in comparison with the identical interval in 2019, confirming that the Americas are will play an essential function in financial restoration.