Turkish Airlines fastest growing airlines in Europe, says Director General Kotil

COLOGNE (A.A) - Director General of Turkey's national air carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) Temel Kotil said Thursday that the THY was among Europe's best three airlines and was the fastest growing airlines in the continent. In a speech delivered at the headquarters of the Union of European Turkish Democrats in German city of Cologne, Temel Kotil said that the THY was one of the few airlines in the world with four stars. We have a young fleet of 178 airplanes and want to be among the world's top ten airlines, Kotil stressed. By the end of 2012, we plan to carry 38 million passengers annually. We have made orders for 55 new airplanes in the next three years, Kotil underlined. In 2012, we plan to add at least 18 new destinations to our global flights, Kotil said. The THY plans to fly to all corners of the world. We do wish to be the most important player in Africa. We already have 18 destinations in Africa and plan to add an additional 8 destinations in 2012. In Germany, we want to promote the THY as much as possible. Germany is highly crucial for us. We wish for all Germans to know the THY, Kotil added. THY is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey, headquartered in Istanbul. It operates scheduled services to 150 international and 41 domestic cities (38 domestic airports), serving a total of 187 airports, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.