Article from BTNews 14 JANUARY 2019
Gatwick – Ankara
Twice-weekly direct flights between Gatwick and Turkey’s capital and second-largest city Ankara were launched last week by Turkish Airlines, with services on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The flag carrier, which claims to fly to more countries than any other airline, is the only one to offer direct flights to the city from the UK year-round, although Sun Express operates from Luton in the summer.
To celebrate last week’s inaugural flight, Turkey’s ambassador to the UK, Ümit Yalçın joined the crew at Gatwick. Turkish Airlines general manager in London, Celal Baykal, said it was an important day in the company’s history in the UK.
He added: “This new route is being launched in direct response to increased demand from our customers across the country, and is further evidence of our commitment to exceeding passenger needs.
“We look forward to welcoming people from across the UK on our new route and helping to widen their world with Turkish Airlines.”
Gatwick now serves 228 destinations in 74 countries, with the Ankara service bringing the number of capital cities served by the airport to 48 while Turkish Airlines also operates from Heathrow, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester.
OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)
All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum