23 January 2010 / REUTERS, İSTANBUL
Turkish Airlines, Europe’s fourth-biggest carrier of passengers, and Russia’s Aeroflot are forming a joint venture to boost tourism, Haber Türk newspaper said on Friday.
Both state-run airlines will own a 50 percent stake in the passenger airline that will use Russian-made Sukhoi jets that carry between 80 and 95 people, the daily reported.
Russia and Turkey will both ease visa restrictions on travelers to encourage tourism, Haber Türk said. Some three million Russian tourists visit Turkey each year, and the new airline is likely to lift those numbers, it said, citing Transport Minister Binali Yıldırım. No financial details of the venture were available. A spokesman at Turkish Airlines was unable immediately to provide information on the deal. The İstanbul-based carrier flew 25.1 million people last year. It had revenue of TL 2.09 billion in the third quarter of 2009. Aeroflot carried 8 million people in the first 11 months of 2009, according to Interfax news agency. It had nine-month sales of $2.46 billion.
