Turkish Airlines launches flights to Al Qassim following 66% passenger growth across the Kingdom in last 2 years

The increase in Turkish Airlines flight network and capacity across the Kingdom is testament to the robust growth of 66 percent in passenger traffic in the country in the first five months of this year, compared to the same period in 2011. The addition of this seventh city in Saudi, now directly connects passengers on Turkish Airlines flights from Al Qassim to more countries than any other airline, with 229 destinations across 100 countries.

The inaugural flight from Istanbul International Airport was welcomed at Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Regional Airport in Al Qassim by the airport’s senior representatives with a signing ceremony and celebratory reception attended by GACA members, VIP guests and passengers on the inaugural flight who were presented memorabilia for the occasion.

Ziya Taşkent, Senior Vice President Marketing & Sales for Turkish Airlines, said: “As part of Turkish Airlines planned expansion in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East we are delighted to be launching direct flights from Al Qassim to Istanbul, connecting over a million residents from the city to more than 220 worldwide destinations.”

He added: “This new route has been launched in response to the robust growth in passenger traffic across Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East where our 32 destinations recorded an additional one million passengers in 2012 compared to the previous year, an upward trend we aim to maintain with new routes and increased capacity.”

The rising popularity of Turkey as a holiday destination is also propelling the airline’s growth, owing to an increasing number of Saudi tourists frequenting the country for its natural riches, historical landmarks and enchanting blend of Eastern and Western culture. According to a recent announcement from the Turkish Embassy in Riyadh, Turkey almost doubled the number of Saudi visitors from 2011 – 2012 and aims to increase this to 400,000 in 2013.