Thai Airways starts Bangkok-Istanbul flights

ISTANBUL

Thailand’s flag carrier, Thai Airways, has commenced flights between Bangkok and Istanbul, making it the 99th airline hosted by Istanbul Airport. 

The first flight on the route took place on Dec. 2, with A350-900 model aircraft. 

Istanbul Airport aims to host 100 airlines by the end of the year, said Selahattin Bilgin, the CEO of İGA, which operates the mega airport. 

Thai Airways International passengers will be able to easily travel to Europe and Africa thanks to Turkish Airlines' extensive network, he added. 

Last week, Thai Airways and Turkish Airlines inked a codeshare agreement. 

“With the addition of Thai Airways International, we aim for our airport to host more flights from Thailand, South Asia and Australia,” Bilgin said. 

Istanbul Airport was Europe’s busiest airport between Nov. 13-19, with an average daily 1,297 flights, according to Eurocontrol. 

Meanwhile, Istanbul Airport has been nominated in the World's Best Awards. 

“We're a nominee in TravelLeisure ‘World’s Best Airport’ under the ‘Best Airport’ category, chosen by global travel lovers. We look forward to your esteemed votes to be named as the ‘World's Best Airport,’” İGA Istanbul Airport wrote on the social media platform X. 

Total passenger traffic at Istanbul Airport grew 21 percent in January-October from a year ago to 64.6 million. 

The international passenger tally increased by 22 percent to 48.9 million, while the number of domestic passengers using the airport rose by 15 percent in the first 10 months of the year to 15.7 million, according to the latest data from the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ). 

Total commercial plane traffic at the airport was up 21 percent to 416,638, with international commercial plane traffic rising 23 percent to nearly 311,000 in January-October.