Exports via airways up 184 percent

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Turkish exports via sea have also increased. DHA photo

Turkey’s exports via airways increased threefold – 184 percent – from $5.9 billion to $16.7 billion in the period of January-September 2012 compared to the same period in 2011.

According to figures provided by the state-run statistics institute TÜİK, exports via sea rose 5.3 percent to $57.1 billion from $54.2 billion in the first nine months of 2012 compared to the same period last year. Exports via road freight, however, decreased 0.1 percent from 37.37 billion to $37.33 billion, and exports via railways dropped 19 percent from $932.6 million to $752.9 million.

Turkey is facing difficulties in railroad and highway exports to the Middle East largely due to its recent tension with Syria and the lack of security in the neighboring country.

Meanwhile, the export unit value and import unit value indexes decreased during the same nine-month period, 2.8 percent and 2.6 percent respectively.