Turkish Airlines to Open Flight to Kabul

Posted 16/06/2011

Turkish Airlines (THY) is to launch services between Istanbul and the Afghanistan capital Kabul.  The carrier is to operate a three times weekly link using a Boeing 737-800 from July 9.  THY will be the first Star Alliance member to provide flights to the city, although it will face direct competition from Ariana Afghan Airlines which offers two flights per week.  An estimated 148,000 O&D passengers travelled between Europe and Afghanistan with 16,000 travelling between Istanbul and Kabul. 

THY will be the first European carrier to offer direct links to the Afghanistan capital, an under-served market with high growth potential.  The new link will bring commercial opportunity for Afghanistan’s well known traditional industries such as carpets and gems, and the industrial sectors namely construction and engineering, IT/telecommunications, transportation and mining, to develop. In addition it will support the many international corporations and organisations working on several multi-million development projects in the country, as well as the vast Afghan community living and working in the Middle East, North America, Europe and Asia.

Schedule:

TK706 IST2350 – 0605+1KBL 738 367
TK707 KBL0720 – 1135IST 738 147

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