Turkish Airlines Plans for Growth With Business Travel at Core
Skift Take
Do business travelers really want one-stop service around the world? Turkish Airlines is continuing its strategy of using Istanbul as a bridge between the East and West, although a lot is riding on improvements to its business class product, whenever they emerge.
The last two years have been challenging for Turkish Airlines, as geopolitical issues and a nascent economic slowdown have posed challenges to its big aspirations in the global air travel market.
Although traffic declined this year, the airline is carrying on like these issues are just temporary. The company's stock has tripled since 2017, reflecting optimism that creating a hub sitting close to Western Europe and Asia can thrive.
At the Turkish Airlines Corporate Club conference in Istanbul this week, there was little talk of the rocky environment the airline has endured recently. Even Turkey's recent currency fluctuations were talked away as a non-issue.
"It's not only the problem of Turkish Airlines, it’s a sectoral problem," said Mehmet İlker Ayci, chairman of the board and executive committee of Turkish Airlines, onstage during the event. "We are preserving our cost structure and diversifying our risks."
Basically, said Ayci, since most of the currency the airline
