Turkish Airlines showcases potentials to agents

Management of Turkish Airlines has organized a workshop for 20 travel agencies in a bid to strengthen its bilateral relationship with Nigeria and to boast business activities between the two countries in Kaduna.

Speaking with our correspondent after the workshop, the General Manager, Turkish Airlines, Ahmet Can Akbuga, said Kaduna is a very good place for business which is what informed the decision to sensitize agents with a view to teaching them more about the airline, to boost business.

“We started operation in Kano in December, 2013, this is our second month, we have started 4 flights and we are impressed by the interest of Kano and Kaduna people in our airline. We fly to more countries in the world than any other airline. We fly 244 destinations in 105 countries.

“In 2014, we flew to 267 destination and 10, 000 weekly flights after adding 23 new destination in 2013, we intend to open between 8 to 10 destinations in Africa and increase also the places we fly in Nigeria including Lagos and Kano,” he said.

Highlighting some of the benefits Nigerian’s can reap from the bilateral relationship, he said, “if a Nigerian has a Shanghai, Istanbul or United Kingdom visa in his/her passport, they can obtain their visas on arrival in Istanbul but they have to show their return tickets, accommodation and pocket money.”

“Passengers who want to benefit from the package must travel with Turkish airline and must also be citizens of Nigeria. Turkey receives well over 16 million tourists in a year, but none from Nigeria and people are welcomed irrespective of their religion,” he said.

He said that Nigerians are not aware of the tourism package put together by the airline to bring more people into their country, saying that “we have a five-to-nine day package for tourists where they will be taken to various tourists locations in the city.”