Turkish Airlines carried 2.4 mln passengers in April

ANKARA-Anadolu Agency

Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines carried nearly 2.4 million passengers in April, according to a statement sent to Turkey's Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) on May 11.

Last month's figure was down 60 percent compared to the pre-pandemic period in April 2019, the airline data showed.

Passenger load factor or seat occupancy declined from the same period in 2019 by 24.6 percentage points to 58.5 percent this April.

The company saw a 56.2 percent rise in the volume of cargo it carried last month - reaching 153,798 tons.

Turkish Airlines also added 12 new destinations from the previous year, giving it a total of 320 destinations worldwide.

Its number of planes increased to 364 by the end of April 2021, up from 335 in April 2019. 

In the first four months of this year, Turkish Airlines' total number of passengers was around 8.7 million, down 61.4 percent compared to 2019.

"Cargo/Mail carried during the period of January-April 2021 increased by 26.3 percent to 586,022 tons from 463,989 tons in the same period of 2019," it said.

Founded in 1933, Turkish Airlines served 28 million passengers last year with a seat occupancy rate of 71 percent amid the coronavirus-related travel restrictions and national border closures.