The UAE and Turkey have established a robust strategic partnership in the tourism and aviation sectors, amid the growing flight and tourist figures between the two friendly nations.
As part of their bilateral relations and strategic partnership, the UAE’s national carriers have increased their flights to Turkey in recent years, following an increase in air traffic between the two nations.
According to reports by UAE national airlines, the aviation industry has recently made a substantial contribution to advancing trade ties between the UAE and Turkey.
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, announced plans to operate 10 weekly flights from Abu Dhabi to Istanbul. Etihad Airways originally launched services to Istanbul in June 2009. Flights to Istanbul strengthened the growing trade relationship between countries. Emirates Airlines has a strong presence in Turkey with 21 weekly flights to Istanbul Airport on Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft, as well as two flights in partnership with Flydubai.
Emirates introduced the first scheduled commercial Airbus A380 service to Istanbul from 1st October 2021. Deploying its three-class A380, Emirates offered a total of 517 seats. The Increase in seat capacity contributed to stimulating tourism exchange between the two countries.
From the Emirates of Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, Air Arabia operates 50 weekly flights to Turkey, including seasonal flights. Most of these flights, 45 in total, depart from Sharjah International Airport, while the remaining five depart from Abu Dhabi International Airport.
flydubai started services to Turkey in 2010 with the launch of flights to Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW). “Today, the Dubai-based carrier has grown its network to five destinations in the market including Ankara Airport (ESB), Bodrum Airport (BJV), Trabzon Airport (TZX) as well as Istanbul International Airport (IST),” as per the reports.
Further, flydubai plans to ramp up operations for the busy summer travel period, increasing its capacity by 20 percent across the network.
“Starting in early June, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has commenced its flights to Antalya, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, as part of the current summer season. In addition to its flights to the Turkish capital, Ankara, which began on 19th January, the airline is committed to providing the region with more convenient, flexible, and cost-effective travel services,” according to the reports.
