“We
are thrilled to welcome Turkish Airlines to Atlanta,”
Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport General
Manager Miguel Southwell said, as Turkish begins daily,
nonstop B777-300 ER service Monday May 16, 2016 between
Atlanta and Istanbul.
“Turkish Airlines daily passenger
and cargo flights will open up business and leisure
opportunities for thousands of new customers from both
sides of the Atlantic,” Mr. Southwell said.
The inaugural flight will be greeted
with a celebratory water cannon salute, a ribbon-cutting
ceremony, and reception at the Maynard H. Jackson Jr.
International Terminal, including comments from Atlanta
Mayor Kasim Reed and Turkish Airlines Chairman Ilker
Ayci.
In 2016 Turkish Airlines will add
new long-range destinations including Atlanta, Bogota,
Hanoi, Havana, Mexico City, and Phuket.
THY received its 300th aircraft early
in 2016, one of 43 new aircraft it expects to receive
this year.
“With new deliveries and leasebacks,
THY’s fleet will be 340 aircraft by the end of
2016,” Chairman Ayci said.
“Our long-range aircraft fleet
will reach 83 this year,” he added.
THY carried 62 million passengers
in 2015. Cargo & Mail carried increased 8.7 percent
to 720,440 tons.
“Our aim is to increase our
passenger business to 72 million by the end of 2016,”
Mr. Ayci said.
“There is no more important
economic engine for our region and our state than Hartsfield-Jackson,”
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said, welcoming Turkish Airlines.
ATL is at the launch of a multibillion-dollar
construction project at Hartsfield-Jackson International
Airport that could take decades to complete.
The $6 billion project will update
the domestic passenger terminal and concourses and add
a sixth runway and a hotel.
Flossie
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