Turkish flag carrier celebrates 75th anniversary of its 1st international flight

ATHENS

Turkish Airlines celebrated the 75th anniversary of its first international flight with a small-scale ceremony in Athens, the first international destination of the nation’s flag carrier.

In 1947 the company operated its first international flight on a route from the capital Ankara to Istanbul to Athens, Greece, a flight taking took two hours and 40 minutes.

Four years after its first Athens flight, Turkish Airlines expanded its international destinations in 1951 by adding Lefkoşa, Cyprus, as well as Beirut, Lebanon and Cairo, Egypt.

“We had the honor of carrying our star and crescent flag outside the borders of our country for the first time, exactly 75 years ago, in Athens,” said Ahmet Bolat, the chairman of the company’s board and executive committee.

Stating that passengers were carried between two neighboring countries with an airplane with a capacity of 30 seats during the first flight, Bolat said that they would continue to host their guests in the sky with Turkish hospitality as an airline carrier flying to most countries in the world.

The 75th anniversary of its first international flight was also celebrated with a special announcement on Istanbul-Athens flights of the global carrier.