We Aim to Be One of the World’s Three Air Bridges

In his speech at the opening of the Association of International Forwarding and Logistics Service Providers (UTIKAD) “Summit 2019” that brings together members in the forwarding and logistic sector, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee M. İlker Aycı emphasized the flag carrier airline’s target of rising from seventh to third in the global cargo market.

Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee M. İlker Aycı gave a speech at the opening of the Association of International Forwarding and Logistics Service Providers (UTIKAD) “Summit 2019” with the theme “Transformation to the Future.”

Aycı highlighted the fact that Turkish Airlines, places great importance on logistics, and in the last few years has placed logistics in the center of both its strategic plans and growth plans. He added, “In the last three years, with the investments we made Turkish Airlines has grown 80%, particularly in air cargo. We expanded our cargo fleet, forming our 24 aircraft cargo fleet. Today, flying to 86 countries with air cargo, we have earned the title of the airline that flies to more countries than any other airline in the world. We aim to increase our 4%

share in the global air cargo market. We have improved our ranking in this field from 13th to 7th in the world; our target for the upcoming period is to rank in the first five, then in the first three. Our aim is to be one of the world’s first three air bridges.”

Explaining that the different subsectors were gathered under one roof with the Services Exporters’ Association established last year, and pointing out the importance of improving technologies used in the logistic sector, lowering costs, and delivering on time, Aycı said, “We are moving from a period where countries and companies compete with each other to a period where supply chains compete and contend for primacy. In such a period, products need to be delivered to the relevant addresses quickly. A fast, dynamic, and secure service is gradually becoming even more important. This will also make the logistic sector even more central in world trade.”

At the second summit to be held this year, UTIKAD Chairman of the Board of Directors Emre Eldener thanked all the sponsors that gave them support.

Reminding participants that the summit was organized with the theme “Transformation to the Future,” Eldener emphasized the innovations that technology, which has become an important part of life, will bring to business life and in particular to the logistic sector.