Turkey’s national flag carrier Turkish Airlines has stated that all flight operations are proceeding as normal after a failed military coup attempt on July, 15.
The aftermath of the failed coup dominated international news headlines with the FAA banning Turkish Airlines’ flights to the US on July 16, which was subsequently lifted.
Many of the alleged coup plotters have since then been arrested and the government has tried to restore ordinary life back to the pre-coup days.
As such, Turkish Airlines has sought to reassure all passengers, especially those travelling from Ghana, that the country is safe and ready to welcome visitors.
Safe and secure aircraft
The Vice-President of Sales for Turkish Airlines for Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr Samil Karakas, told the Graphic Business in an interview that flights between Ghana and Turkey would increase the volume of international trade between the two countries.
“The situation in Turkey is safe now. The violence of that night was under control within some hours and in the early morning (the next day) all the members of the military involved in the coup were arrested," said Mr Karakas.
“The government worked really hard to bring back normalcy and it is 100 per cent safe for Ghanaian travellers to fly to Turkey or through Turkey to other destinations.”
Turkey has in the last decade and a half embarked on measures aimed at strengthening relations with African countries. It currently has strong bilateral relations with Ghana and earlier this year, President Erdogan visited Ghana to cut the sod for the construction of a new terminal at the Kotoka International Airport.
Destinations in Africa
In 2006, the airline had only four destinations in Africa but ten years down the line, there are 48 destinations, including operations in Accra, since 2010. This number is set to increase to 50 by the end of the year.
“We are happy that we have the ability to expand in Africa and we will continue to do so. A couple of months ago, the Turkish president was in Ghana and he came with a large business delegation. Once you have a link between the two countries through direct flights between Istanbul and Accra, the business will come automatically with businessmen travelling easily between the two countries,” he said.
Currently, thousands of Ghanaians visit Turkey annually for tourism, business and study purposes.
Turkish Airlines operates a total fleet of 331 aircraft (passenger and cargo) to 241 international and 49 domestic destinations.
As recently as a decade ago, Turkish Airlines carried about 17 million passengers. It has grown considerably since, flying more than 61 million passengers last year, more than half of whom flew internationally.