Emre Ismailoglu, General Manager Dubai & Northern Emirates, Turkish Airlines • Interview
While new trends continue to shape the travel industry, Turkish Airlines has decided to keep it simple by enhancing its brand of luxury and offering travelers a more rewarding experience.
How would you evaluate 2019 for Turkish Airlines in Dubai?
Turkish Airlines experienced strong growth throughout 2019. Results demonstrated the continuity in momentum from 2018 and the positive demand environment for Turkish Airlines in the UAE. In terms of numbers, we served a total of 6.78 million passengers in the Middle East in 2019, up by 1.5% YoY. We also expanded our extensive flight network with the introduction of new routes including Sharjah, Marrakesh, Strasbourg, Port Harcourt, Luxor, Bali/Denpasar, Cancún, Rovaniemi, and most recently, Xi’an, our fourth destination in mainland China. While we’ve been growing our flight network, we have also been busy refining the pre-flight and on-board experience in Dubai and beyond. In 2019, we opened an art exhibition at the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge at Istanbul Airport, upgraded the interiors of our 787-9 Dreamliner fleet, and introduced a brand-new uniform designed by Italian haute couturier Ettore Bilotta. We work to provide more opportunities for our passengers to travel between all our destinations, reflected in a 2.3% rise in seat capacity among our Middle Eastern flights in 2018. Overall, we carried a total of 74.3 million passengers globally in 2019.
What market trends and changes have you noticed in Dubai, and how do they impact the airline industry?
A prevalent trend throughout 2019 was the rise of personalization and experiential travel. Expectations around personalization are constantly growing. Most sectors with a digital presence are tailoring products and services to match consumer preferences and tastes. When it comes to impacting the airline industry, customers are looking for ways to personalize their travels, considering all elements that may add to their all-round experience, from booking to journey to the actual days spent at their destination of choice. They give attention to detail and consider everything from ease of booking, experiential suggestions, hotels, airlines, in-flight services, and lounge and airport experiences. At an experiential level, travelers want to travel better and connect with the cultural and human elements of a destination. In Dubai, this means appreciating the old souks, Emirati hospitality, and a myriad of cuisines. Another trend we are witnessing is the increase in micro-trips. More people are opting to take short or weekend trips, which can generate a lot of business for local economies. In Dubai, we have seen the rise of ‘staycations’ and regional-based travel. Travelers are opting for more curated travel itineraries and shorter timeframes, which has been made possible by more flight options and greater connectivity.
By connecting Sharjah to the world, we have secured a new and untapped gateway into the country—one that takes advantage of the Emirate’s growing international aviation and travel markets. This is backed by the fact that in 2019, Sharjah Airport handled a total of approximately 10.2 million passengers. We anticipate our recently launched route to Xi’an, China, to do well. We are also confident about the addition of our flights to Rovaniemi and Strasbourg, two destinations which were previously not easily reachable from the Middle East. As the fastest-growing air cargo brand in the world, Turkish Cargo is currently serving 126 countries and showing promising growth. In 2019, we achieved a 7.9% increase in tonnage in the Middle East.
Our main goal remains the same: enhancing our brand of luxury and offering travelers a more rewarding experience. The opening of the new Istanbul Airport, the introduction of the new destinations, and the addition of new aircraft Dreamliner B787 have provided the basis for an improved Turkish Airlines offering, and we will continue to build on that throughout 2020. We plan to increase our international and regional routes and strengthen our network. We have several exciting developments in the pipeline, including the launch of our A350 aircraft to Dubai and the addition of new destination such as Haneda, Newark, Malabo, and Osaka. ✖
How has Dubai become a logistics hub on the global stage?
The two biggest factors behind Dubai’s success are the Emirate’s strategic location and the contributions of DP World and Emirates Airlines—both key market players that connect Asia and Europe through a broad range of operations. As the logistics sector has developed and expanded in the last two decades, DP World and Emirates Airlines have used more routes over longer distances and invested heavily in technology and human capital, contributing significantly to a competitive and sustainable logistics sector. As the market has transformed, shipment sizes have decreased while shipments themselves have become more frequent, emphasizing the flexibility of the logistics sector to promptly respond to changing markets demands while continuing to deliver world-class services. Furthermore, Dubai has established itself as a logistics hub on the back of world-class infrastructure such as seaports and airports. The scope of markets that Dubai serves as a hub continues to expand, particularly in terms of connectivity, and the Emirate is aiming to secure more opportunities as part of the Silk Road. Additionally, the adoption of e-commerce and our partnership with Amazon will present even more opportunities.
How is Dubai South’s Logistics District pioneering technologies and digitalization?
Digitalization is among our top priorities as the Emirate transitions to paperless operations as part of the Dubai Paperless Strategy, in line with the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to transform Dubai into a fullfledged smart city. We are upgrading our entire IT system with our own ERP software so that Dubai South has integrated applications to manage the business and automate all functions related to technology, services, and human resources.
How is e-commerce changing demand and shifting strategic priorities for Logistics District?
E-commerce is changing demand and shifting strategic priorities through EZ Dubai, a unique project launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed that has facilitated a whole zone dedicated to e-commerce. We have created a positive environment through this platform where less known entities and entrepreneurs have access to e-markets such as Amazon. E-commerce also comprises many multi-channel retail organizations and includes several elements ranging from large fulfillment centers to last-mile deliveries.
What developments are happening within the transport sector and how is Logistics District capitalizing on them?
We recently launched a program in partnership with the University of South Wales dedicated to technology and sustainability within logistics and supply chains. This promises to be an important initiative as mobility and sustainability are two key themes of the upcoming Expo 2020. We have begun implementing several initiatives in relation to sustainability and there are many more still to come in the years ahead. We are in the process of automating all our processes, despite its many challenges, and we have hired a company to recycle all our plastic bottles.
What is your vision and what are the strategic priorities for Logistics District moving forward?
Our efforts are focused on technology