ISTANBUL
Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek has said that Turkish Airlines (THY) generated huge added value.
Speaking at the event held for the presentation of the 200th plane of THY on Tuesday, Simsek said that the turnover of the aviation industry which was 2.2 million USD in 2002 exceeded 15 billion USD in 2012 and added that the aviation sector in Turkey grew 3 times faster than the Turkish economy.
Saying that the number of employees of THY increased to 30,000 from 10,000 and the number of employees in the sector went up to 150,000 from 65,000, Simsek underlined that the sector generated massive employment.
He said THY grew fast amid the global financial crisis and became the airline that flies to the largest number of countries in the world according to a report by the Official Airline Guide with 205 destinations in 90 countries.
We are pleased to reach our goals one by one
Executive Board Chairman of Turkey's national air carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) Hamdi Topcu on Tuesday said that they were pleased to reach their goals one by one.
Topcu's comments came at a ceremony held in Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport on Tuesday to mark the addition of 200th passenger plane to THY's fleet.
"We are pleased to reach our goals one by one. When we added the 100th plane to our fleet, our goal was to add the 200th plane. Our goal now is to add the 300th plane to our fleet," Topcu noted.
"Our aim on the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey, in 2023, is to be a global airlines company with the largest network, be a five star airline company and to be the leading airlines in our region of 1.5 billion people," Topcu also said.
