By Alithea De Jesus
Turkish Airlines inked air services agreement with the Philippines that would double passenger flights between Manila and Istanbul and vice versa.
The Türkiye’s flag carrier has already seen the potential of its network expansion to Southeast Asia, especially the Philippines, particularly in Manila and Cebu, that would double passenger flights between the Philippines and Türkiye.
Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said the deal would benefit the Philippines and international travelers especially now that the summer season just started.
The Tourism Chief also said that the DOT has identified the improvement of connectivity as one of its core objectives to strengthen the tourism industry in the country given the travel boom.
“We recognize and commend the efforts of our counterparts from the transportation sector led by the Department of Transportation for helping us improve our air services partnerships that would give our would-be visitors the improved tourist experience that they deserve,” said Franco in a statement.
She also noted that the Turkish Airline has been Manila’s “longtime partner” in servicing European and Mediterranean source markets in the country.
Meanwhile, Transportation Undersecretary Roberto Lim and Turkish Civil Aviation Acting Director General Dr. Kemal Yüksek signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that improves the bilateral air services regime between the Philippines and Turkiye after air consultations between the Philippine and Turkish Air Panels in March 2023.
This MOU resulted in a doubling of passenger air service entitlements for the Philippines and Turkiye on the Manila-Istanbul route from the previous seven flights per week on each side to 14 flights a week.