Turkish Airlines celebrates a new era in European aviation
Dubai: Turkish Airlines proudly marks a historic milestone in Türkiye's aviation journey as iGA Istanbul Airport becomes the first in Europe to implement Triple Independent Runway Operations, effective as of April 17. This remarkable advancement reinforces the airport's role as our global hub and solidifies Türkiye's strategic position at the heart of international air travel.
Initiated by Türkiye's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloglu with the attendance of, General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMI) Chairman of the Board and General Director Enes Çakmak, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee Prof. Ahmet Bolat, iGA Istanbul Airport Board Member Mehmet Kalyoncu and other notables, launch of this pioneering system saw three Turkish Airlines aircraft take off simultaneously under live operations, highlighting not only the capabilities of iGA Istanbul Airport but also the strength and sophistication of Türkiye's aviation ecosystem.
Emphasizing that the Triple Independent Runway Operations mark a first for Türkiye and European aviation and a historic step for global aviation, Türkiye's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloglu stated the following during the inauguration: 'We are proud as Türkiye is the only country to implement this system in Europe. Now, Istanbul Airport has risen to the top tier of global aviation—not only with its traffic volume but also in terms of operational capacity and technical capability. With this system, air traffic flow will accelerate, the dynamic capacity of our airport will significantly increase, and we will offer our passengers faster and safer service. When Istanbul's strategic location which bridges continents, is combined with this new capability, our airport will take on an even more critical role in global aviation logistics.'
On playing a key part of this significant moment for Turkish aviation, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee Prof. Ahmet Bolat stated: ' As Turkish Airlines, we are proud to be part of yet another historic moment for Turkish aviation. With the simultaneous take-off of three of our aircraft, our main hub iGA Istanbul Airport has achieved a first in Europe. This operational capacity will enhance the efficiency of our flights and serve as a significant milestone on our path toward continued growth.'
Commenting on the new capabilities, iGA Istanbul Airport Board Member Mehmet Kalyoncu said: ' It is with great pleasure that I announce that as of April 17, 2025, we are officially commencing Triple Independent Runway Operations at iGA Istanbul Airport—marking a first in Europe and further strengthening Türkiye's contribution to the international travel and aviation industry. This is not merely a technical achievement for us, but also a strategic milestone. The Triple Independent Runway Operation we are launching today stands as one of the most critical cornerstones of this ecosystem.
With this system, we are increasing our hourly air traffic capacity from 120 to 148 aircraft movements. This development enhances not only the efficiency of Istanbul's airspace but also that of Europe's. Istanbul is no longer just a destination—it is now a global aviation hub.'
With the integration of Triple Independent Runway Operations, iGA Istanbul Airport has increased its hourly aircraft movement capacity, significantly boosting operational efficiency. For Turkish Airlines, this means shorter taxi times, fewer delays, and enhanced punctuality, thus delivering a smoother, faster, and more sustainable experience for flag carrier's guests. The system also contributes to reducing carbon emissions, aligning with global airline's long-term environmental commitments.
As iGA Istanbul Airport continues its path toward becoming a global transfer hub with a vision to serve 200 million passengers, this new operational capability supports Turkish Airlines' goals of seamless connectivity, superior service, and forward-looking infrastructure. On-time departures and arrivals are one of the core objectives of our strategy and a critical factor in enhancing financial efficiency. With this new operational capability, punctual performance across our fleet, which sees over 1000 daily flights, will enjoy benefits in both guest satisfaction and cost optimization.
As the flag carrier of the country, Turkish Airlines, celebrates this achievement as a testament to Türkiye's aviation leadership and iGA Istanbul Airport's capacity to set new benchmarks on a global scale. We remain committed to elevating the travel experience while strengthening Türkiye's role in connecting the world.
About Turkish Airlines:
Established in 1933 with a fleet of five aircraft, Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines has a fleet of 473 (passenger and cargo) aircraft flying to 353 worldwide destinations as 300 international and 53 domestics in 131 countries. More information about Turkish Airlines can be found on its official website www.turkishairlines.com or its social media accounts on Facebook, X, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram.
About Star Alliance:
Established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance, the Star Alliance network was founded on a customer value proposition of global reach, worldwide recognition, and seamless service. Since its inception, it has offered the largest and most comprehensive airline network, with a strong emphasis on enhancing the customer experience throughout the entire Alliance journey.
The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, and United.
Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers 17,837 daily flights to over 1,160 airports in 192 countries. Further connecting flights are offered by Star Alliance Connecting Partner Juneyao Airlines.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Etihad
an hour ago
- Al Etihad
GCC banks with Turkish subsidiaries set to gain as inflation eases in Türkiye: Fitch Ratings
12 June 2025 17:39 A. SREENIVASA REDDY (ABU DHABI)Gulf banks with subsidiaries in Türkiye are poised to benefit from improving macroeconomic conditions in the Turkish market, according to Fitch Ratings. Easing inflation and signs of greater financial stability are expected to soften the financial drag these subsidiaries have imposed in recent the affected institutions is Emirates NBD, which owns DenizBank in Türkiye. Like its regional peers, Emirates NBD has suffered from what are called "net monetary losses" — accounting hits that stem from Türkiye's persistently high inflation. Under international accounting rules (specifically IAS 29 for hyperinflation), these banks must adjust the value of their Turkish assets, leading to large losses on their noted that since 2022, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) banks have reported more than $7 billion in such losses, equivalent to about 5% of their combined equity by the end of 2024. In 2024 alone, $2.5 billion in net monetary losses were recorded. Qatar National Bank (QNB) and Kuwait Finance House (KFH) were among the hardest hit, with their profitability ratios reduced by 60 to 70 basis there is now cautious optimism. Quarterly losses shrank by about 20% in Q1 2025, thanks to Türkiye's inflation cooling to around 40%, down from 67% in the same period last year. Fitch expects total losses to fall further to $1.1 billion in 2025 and $920 million in 2026, assuming continued disinflation, with inflation forecast to drop to 28% by year-end 2025 and 21% by 2026.'If disinflation continues at least in line with our expectations after 2025, GCC banks will probably stop using hyperinflation reporting from 2027,' Fitch Ratings said. Furthermore, profit margins at the subsidiaries may improve once Türkiye's central bank begins cutting interest rates, expected to fall to 33% by end-2025 from the current 46%, and then to 24% in this progress, Fitch maintains a cautious view. The agency said it still treats exposure to Türkiye as a credit-negative factor. These exposures result in a one-notch deduction from their viability scores — a key measure of a bank's intrinsic financial health — due to the relatively higher risks in the Turkish market compared to the more stable GCC region. While these Turkish subsidiaries account for only between 3% and 21% of the parent groups' total assets, any material improvement in Türkiye's economic environment could gradually ease the strain. Fitch signalled that in the long run, this might contribute to upgrades in the affected banks' ratings — but only in conjunction with other supportive factors.
Gulf Today
2 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Abu Dhabi hotels record Dhs611m in revenue in March
Abu Dhabi's hospitality sector continues to show robust growth, with hotel establishments across the emirate generating revenues of Dhs611 million in March 2025, according to preliminary data released by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), in coordination with the Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi (SCAD). The total revenue breakdown comprises Dhs345 million from room bookings, Dhs228 million from food and beverage services, and Dhs38 million from other sources. The emirate welcomed approximately 417,000 hotel guests during March, highlighting Abu Dhabi's growing appeal as a global tourist destination. The surge is attributed to the emirate's diverse accommodation offerings and high-quality hospitality services. A total of 171 hotel establishments, comprising 34,341 rooms, operated across Abu Dhabi in March. These properties recorded over 1.2 million guest nights, achieving an average occupancy rate of 69 per cent. The average revenue per available room (RevPAR) stood at AED486. Non-Arab Asian nationals topped the list of international visitors, accounting for 152,000 hotel guests. European travellers followed with 123,000 guests, while UAE nationals accounted for 58,000 stays. These figures underline Abu Dhabi's sustained tourism growth and its strengthening position as a preferred destination for a wide range of global markets. Five-star hotels hosted the highest number of guests, totalling 205,000 in March. European visitors made up the largest segment within this category, with 78,000 guests. Four-star hotels received 119,000 guests, followed by three-star and below hotels with 54,000 guests. Additionally, serviced apartments accommodated 38,000 visitors. The strong performance aligns with Abu Dhabi's Tourism Strategy 2030, which aims to attract 39.3 million visitors annually, generate 178,000 new jobs in the tourism sector, expand hotel capacity to 50,000 rooms, and increase the sector's contribution to the emirate's GDP to Dhs90 billion by the end of the decade.
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
EU Commission and states indirectly fund Israeli military industry, report says
Israel's largest state-owned defence company, which is directly involved in the war on Gaza, has received millions of euros in EU defence funding, an investigation has revealed. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is participating in EU-funded projects through the Greek company Intracom Defense, which it acquired in May 2023. According to a report published on Wednesday by Investigate Europe, the French newsroom Disclose and the Greek outlet Reporters United, Intracom Defense is currently involved in 15 European Defence Fund (EDF) projects worth at least €15m (around $17.5m). Seven of them were awarded after October 2023 and its sale to IAI. Among them are the Triton and Marte projects, which started in December 2024 to develop AI-driven cybersecurity technology and tank systems for combat. Intracom Defense's most significant involvement is as the lead coordinator of Actus, a four-year programme aimed at developing drone technologies for weapon integration and other capabilities for European use. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Launched in December 2024, the project will design, test and certify Nato-compliant drones that can track and identify people as potential targets in real time. Actus is focused on weaponising France's Patroller drone and certifying Greece's surveillance drone Lotus for operational use. In total, Actus is funded to the tune of €59m. The European Commission has allocated €42m in public funding to 23 manufacturers responsible for the tactical development of the drones. 'We have a state that denounces violations of international law and [yet] is prepared to collaborate with a company owned by the Israeli state' – Amnesty International France According to the investigation, seven European defence ministries are also funding the project: France, Belgium, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Cyprus and Finland. Intracom Defense and Safran, the companies behind the two drones, received more than half of the €42m released by the European Commission. Intracom Defense was allocated €14m while Safran, in which the French state is a shareholder, received €10m. While Intracom Defense is registered and based in Greece, 94.5 percent of its shares are owned by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which holds 100 percent of voting rights in the Greek firm. 'Strengthening the Israeli war machine' IAI is the arms company at the heart of Israel's war on Gaza. It manufactures the Heron surveillance and armed drones used by the Israeli Air Force. While the EDF aims to promote domestic innovation, a clause in article 9 of its regulations states that firms need only to be based in Europe to be eligible for funding, as long as they provide guarantees to the government where they are registered. These guarantees, which include ensuring that sensitive information is not transferred to the foreign owner, are sent to and approved by the government where the company is based, in this case Greece, one of Israel's closest European allies. The revelations that a subsidiary of an Israeli military firm is involved in developing Europe's defence systems raise security concerns. New report accuses France of 'continuously' delivering military equipment to Israel Read More » Belgian leftist MEP Marc Botenga, a member of the European Parliament Committee on Security and Defence, told the report's authors that the arrangement reflects a 'structural security issue'. Human rights advocates are also likely to highlight the contradiction with the tougher stance adopted by European governments vis-a-vis Israel in recent weeks. Several of those funding the IAI-linked project are also reportedly among those calling for a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. In May, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that if Israel did not respond appropriately to the humanitarian situation in Gaza "in the coming hours and days... we will have to harden our collective position" and "apply sanctions" on Israel. Meanwhile, according to the investigation, the French government is doubly involved in Actus: as a co-financier and as a beneficiary, through the drone manufacturer Safran. 'On the one hand, we have a state [France] that denounces violations of international law and, on the other, it is prepared to collaborate with a company that is owned by the Israeli state,' Aymeric Elluin, an arms trade campaigner at Amnesty International France, said in response to the findings. 'Self-certification in this sector is obviously insufficient at best, a joke at worst' – Marc Botenga, Belgian MEP "How can you advocate the establishment of peace when, at the same time, through a fund supposed to strengthen European defence, you are bringing into play the Israeli industry, which is committing a crime of genocide and whose leader is the subject of an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity?" he added. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel's war on Gaza, which several countries, as well as many international rights groups and experts, now describe as "genocide". "Indirectly, the European fund and the states are strengthening the Israeli war machine," Tony Fortin, researcher at the French think tank Armaments Observatory, told Disclose. Coveted Israeli know-how According to the investigation, the inclusion of an Israeli subsidiary in the EDF reflects the EU's pressing need to improve its military power through specialist knowledge and skills. 'We need the Israeli know-how that we lack. In my opinion, that explains the Intracom manoeuvre,' said a global defence expert. 'We want to develop our own loitering munitions [drones that can crash into targets], and we also want an 'Israeli input' in this segment.' Arab states received 12 percent of Israeli arms exports in 2024 amid surge in arms sales Read More » While there is no evidence to suggest that products developed in these projects will be used by IAI in the Palestinian territories, there are no strict ethical guidelines surrounding the export of technology produced via EDF projects, the authors said. Article 7 of the EDF regulations only states that projects shall comply with relevant national, EU and international law, requiring companies to conduct a project self-assessment, which can be examined by the Commission and a panel of 'independent experts' whose identity is not made public. 'The EDF regulation is extremely weak on ethics and transparency… Self-certification in this sector is obviously insufficient at best, a joke at worst,' Botenga said. 'It is clear that the EDF's current framework does not sufficiently prevent EU-funded projects from contributing to violations of international humanitarian law.'
