Star Alliance partners Turkish Airlines and Thai Airways have signed a preliminary agreement to deepen their relationship through plans to establish a joint venture on routes through Istanbul.
Thai Airways will begin daily flights from Bangkok to Istanbul in December. Cirium data shows Turkish Airlines is the only scheduled carrier on the route – having served it since 2008 – operating twice-daily Bangkok flights.
Executives from the two airlines met in Istanbul on 2 August to commit to an enhanced partnership based around linking Europe and Asia through Istanbul.
Turkish Airlines chief executive Bilal Eksi says: “This agreement represents an important milestone for the co-operation between Turkish Airlines and Thai.
”This collaboration will enhance connectivity between the two regions, provide seamless travel experiences, and offer passengers a wider range of destinations and services through both airlines’ networks.”
Thai Airways chief executive Chai Eamsiri adds: “This co-operation will enhance the efficiencies of Thai and Turkish Airlines in terms of connectivity and route network.”
