Turkish Cargo Launches Direct Freighter Service between Hong Kong and Istanbul

Turkish Airlines' cargo services branch will operate freighter flights twice weekly starting 15 October 2010.

Two new A330-200F freighters will also be added to the current fleet of the airline’s cargo services branch to enable cargo customers from Asia to reach 168 destinations worldwide via Istanbul more frequently and at higher capacities. The increased cargo capacity will strengthen Turkish Cargo’s long-haul freighter service, serving the rapidly expanding Chinese market while meeting growing demands for transit between Asia and Europe.

“We are excited with the launch of this new freighter service, which will help us better serve the needs of cargo customers in the region,” said Mr. Huseyin Ceyhan, Director of Turkish Airlines Hong Kong. “Hong Kong, being the second-largest cargo hub in the world, is a very important market for us. The expansion of Turkish Cargo will further enhance our local presence and our penetration into the Asia-Pacific market.”

With a global transport network anchored by Istanbul, Turkish Cargo offers frequent and reliable routes, and minimum transit times between 168 destinations worldwide. Given the unique geographical position of Istanbul, almost 50 countries can be reached within a two-to-three hour flight. Turkish Cargo’s vast network also reaches many destinations less frequented by most other airlines, such as Tbilisi, Damascus and Maastricht, ensuring maximum convenience and efficiency for cargo customers.

“Despite the recent global economic downturn, we continue to observe steady demand for our cargo transport from Hong Kong, which posted an 8.27% growth in local cargo export over the first two quarters of this year,” said Mr. Abdullah Soner Akkurt, Senior Vice President of Turkish Cargo. “Thus, expansion into Greater China is a necessary and opportune strategic move for us. We are very pleased to further support economic growth between East and West with this new freighter service.”

Turkish Cargo is one of the few carriers that have grown during the recent credit crunch, achieving an increase of 60% in cargo revenue and 42% in total cargo tonnage carried over the last eight months. In addition to new freighters, expansion of cargo terminals and improvement to equipment and infrastructure are planned for supporting the rapid growth in Turkish Cargo’s capacity.