ISTANBUL - Turkish Airlines (THY) has set a new record in net operating profit to reach 418 million YTL according to company`s consolidated financial reports which cover the first nine months of this year, Director-General Temel Kotil said. (1 dollar equals 1.2 YTL)
"Net profit for the period spiked by 52 percent over the same period of last year to reach 194 million YTL," Kotil told the A.A.
"Considering the regional distribution in net operating profit, we achieved significant income growth especially from our new destinations to Middle East, Africa and Far East," he said, noting that the number of passengers flied with THY rose by 16.6 over the year 2006 and reached 16.5 million at the end of October.
"We forecast a number of 20 million passengers by end-2007 which means a 100 percent growth over the past four years. Increase in the number of passengers was almost 4-5 percent in Europe, while it was 15-20 percent at THY, according to figures of the Association of European Airlines. Moreover, we increased the number of aircraft to 101 from 65. 20 more aircraft will join our fleet in 2008," he added.
"Our investments returned to us very effectively. New destinations are becoming more profitable. THY has become an outstanding brand in the world. We are now one of the best airline companies in international aviation," Kotil remarked and set a new target for the next year: 23 million THY passengers.