Turkish Airlines to Use B737-900ERs on African Routes

Posted 14/07/2011

Turkish Airlines (THY) will use its new Boeing 737-900ERs on its flights to Kenya and Tanzania during the Northern Summer 2012, according to the latest update of its operational schedule.  The fast-expanding carrier is already a major operator of the Next-Generation Boeing 737 family, but will introduce the first of its -900ER variants, the largest version of the single-aisle airliner, into its fleet during the first quarter of next year. 

The airline has yet to formally confirm the entry into service plans for the new aircraft, but has revealed in the latest update to the GDS that the type will be utilised on its flights from Istanbul Ataturk to Nairobi and Dar es Salaam from March 25, 2012.  These two destinations are currently served on a joint flight with a daily schedule to Nairobi and a three weekly onward connection to Dar es Salaam.  At present THY uses a mix of Airbus A330-300 and 737-800 equipment on the route.

However, from the start of next year’s Northern Summer schedules THY will now serve the markets as individual destinations.  A weekly flight will be offered to Nairobi, while a new non-stop connection to Dar es Salaam will operate four times weekly.  According to Boeing, THY currently has 34 737s on order including 15 -900ERs from a February 2010 order for ten aircraft and a March 2011 commitment for five more.  The -900ER can seat up to 215 passengers in a single-class configuration, although THY is likely to configure its aircraft in a two class arrangement, especially if they are going to be used on long-sector flights.

Schedule:

Istanbul – Dar es Salaam
TK603 IST1810 – 0145+1DAR 73J x247
TK604 DAR0245 – 0950IST 73J x135

Istanbul – Nairobi
TK607 IST1845 – 0120+1NBO 73J D
TK608 NBO0250 – 0910IST 73J D

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PLEASE NOTE: From March 7, 2012 schedule data for all news stories has been extracted from OAG Schedules iNET; All GDS data is based on a live GDS update on the day of publication; Traffic data extracted from IATA BSP system for the year ending December 2011.  All information is subject to change.