EXPECT richer trade and a healthier relationship between the Philippines and Turkey, high-ranking officials from both the government and the private sector said, as the flag carrier of the transcontinental country started mounting direct flights from Istanbul to Manila on Monday.
Turkish Airlines landed on Manila’s soil at around 6:40 p.m. on Monday, and was welcomed by a water-cannon salute at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 1, which is currently at the last stages of being upgraded.
The carrier’s maiden flight had a 90-percent passenger load factor, meaning almost all of its seats were occupied, Turkish Airlines Chief of Marketing and Sales Ahmet Olmustur said. It is a sign the aviation company, hailed as the Europe’s best international carrier in 2014, was right in expanding its already-extensive route network to the Philippines.
“The reason we started our flights to Manila is because of the more than 500,000 Filipinos living in Europe. The maiden flight had a 90-percent load factor, and most of them are transit passengers from Europe,” he said late Monday.
He said the airline’s target market include businessmen, tourists and transit passengers seeking a gateway to Europe, noting that transit passengers prefer to use Turkey as a jump-off point to Europe for its seamless transfer procedures.
Turkey is strategically located in the crossroads of Asia, Europe and Africa.
He said Turkey’s flag carrier decided to enter the Philippine market due to the country’s robust economic growth in recent years.
“Turkish Airlies sees opportunities in expanding air-travel services in the country, which not only has a booming economy and a large population, but excellent tourist destinations as well,” Olmustur said. “Turkish Airlines is also committed toward strengthening ties between Turkey and the Philippines.”
The Istanbul-Manila service is currently available thrice weekly, and was made possible thanks to the expansion of the air-services agreement between the two nations in November 2014.
Manila is the latest addition to Turkish Airlines’s more than 200 destinations, making the Philippines the 109th country that the carrier flies to.
Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Jose Angel A. Honrado said the direct flights fromIstanbul to Manila “marks another milestone to the Philippines’s aviation industry.”
“This is a welcome addition to the growing list of international airlines in the Philippines, thereby diversifying the choices for passengers,” he said.
Tourism Undersecretary Benito C. Bengzon Jr. added the new flights would effectively double the current tourism numbers between the two nations.
“This offers new opportunities for tourists to come to the Philippines. With the launch of these direct flights to Manila, we are confident that we can double tourist arrivals to the Philippines in the next couple of years,” he said.
Data from the Department of Tourism showed that a total of 3,731 tourists from Turkey visited the Philippines in 2013.
Turkey’s Ambassador to the Philippines Esra Cankorur also expressed her confidence that tourism exchanges would increase over time. This, she added, would also introduce the Philippines to a well of opportunities outside Asia.
“The new flights opens Manila to opportunities through Istanbul,” she said. “We are optimistic that the direct flights will open new avenues in trade, economics, and tourism.”
Data from Turkey’s Ministry of Economy showed that Turkey’s exports to the Philippines reached $135.5 million, while imports increased by 15 percent to $181.2 million in 2013.