NEWS SCAN for Turkey – Aug 15th, 2013
Down below you will find a summary of topics from major Turkish papers and internet sites
Turkish Airlines interested in buying Olympic Air
THY (Turkish Airlines) which is the fastest-growing airline company in Europe, has expressed serious interest in buying Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air of Greece. It is reported that THY wants to buy Olympic Air to grow in the region.
It is also reported that Turkey’s flag carrier plans to maintain Olympic Air’s name and logo at first and incorporate it later on. THY also wants to use Athens Airport and aims for scheduling flights from Athens to various destinations abroad.
Meanwhile, the number of passengers Turkish Airlines carried between January and July 2013 increased 24 percent compared to the same term in 2012. According to figures released by THY, the number of passengers in international and domestic lines rose 26 and 22 percent respectively. The number of passengers THY carried, 21.6 million in the first seven months of 2012, reached 26.9 million in the same period in 2013. The occupancy rate also increased 2.4 percent and reached 78.7 percent during the same period.
Turkish Finance Minister: Turkey has risen to the medium-high income group
Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Sahin stated that Turkey has tripled its domestic income in dollars in the last 10 years according to the World Bank criteria and currently ranks among the medium-high income groups; adding that the threshold for the high economic income group is 12,600 US Dollars, a figure Turkey aims to reach in the medium term.
Sharing some economic indicators via his Twitter, Minister Simsek noted that the GNP has increased by 63% on 2003-2012 and per capita income on fixed prices has risen by 45%. Responding to the critics about the allegedly negative course of the Turkish economy, Mr. Simsek has said: “If the Turkish economy were in decline, then why would foreign investors seek chances to invest in our country? The number of the global companies operating in Turkey was only 5,000 while the current figure is 34,000.”
Railway liberalization attracts attention of global rail giants to Turkey and its expanding network
Ending years of state monopoly on railway operations, Turkey is set to receive an influx of foreign companies ranging from operators to manufacturers. The recent opening of the country’s railways to the private sector has turned global rail giants’ attention to Turkey and its rapidly-expanding railway network.
Sector heavyweights such as Deutsche Bahn, SNCF, Thales, Thalys, Mitsubishi and Hyundai Rotem are said to be surveying the ground to participate in Turkey’s promising railway transportation market which will see the first privately operated train set off as early as 2014. Initially, private sector involvement will be limited to freight transportation. The carrying of passengers on privately built and operated rails will commence by 2018.
“We are closely monitoring Turkey for opportunities and following the latest developments closely”, said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson, Heiner Spannuth. The German rail operator is in partnership with Turkey’s Arkas Holding since 1995. South Korean Hyundai-Rotem and Japanese Mitsubishi, both suppliers to light rail networks in Turkey’s Istanbul, are also eyeing the coming boom.
Turkish PM strongly condemns attack in Egypt, calls for international action
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday called for the UN Security Council to convene quickly and take action after what he described as a “massacre” in Egypt.
“Those who remain silent in the face of this massacre are as guilty as those who carried it out. The UN Security Council must convene quickly,” Erdoğan told a news conference before his departure from Ankara Esenboğa Airport for Turkmenistan on Thursday morning.
Erdoğan criticized the stance of the West on Egypt, noting that Western powers have avoided calling the military intervention in Egypt a coup. “During our telephone conversations, they don’t deny that a coup has been staged in Egypt but when talking to the public they speak differently,” he said.
Continuing his strong rhetoric against the West’s stance on Egypt, Erdoğan stated that in order to pass what he called the “democracy test,” the West should understand that Egyptians are asking for their democratic rights.
President Gül says Egypt faces risk of becoming a new Syria
President Abdullah Gül said today the chaos in Egypt threatens to result in a civil war similar the conflict in Syria in the wake of a crackdown on supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi. AA photo
President Abdullah Gül said Aug.14 the chaos in Egypt threatens to result in a civil war similar the conflict in Syria in the wake of a crackdown on supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
Gül said armed intervention against civilian people could bring chaos to Egypt, recalling Syria as an example. “I would like to recall how the ongoing incidents started in our neighbor [Syria]. Armed intervention on civilians triggered the incidents there,” Gül said at a press conference at Atatürk Airport in Istanbul before leaving for Azerbaijan.
Turkish food giant Ülker increases first-half profits by 28 pct
Turkey’s food giant Ülker has increased its profits by 28 percent in the first half of the year while its sales revenues went up by 16 percent.
With the 16 percent increase, the company’s sales revenues reached TL 1.3 billion in the first half. That number was TL 1.1 billion in the same period last year. Ülker also made TL 157 million in profits in the first half of 2012, but reached almost TL 201 million in the first half of this year.
Commenting on the results, Ülker CEO Mehmet Tütüncü said the company is glad to see that the numbers were as expected. “Financial performance of the company in the past six quarters shows that a financial and operational stable ground has been created to provide sustainable and profitable growth.”
Vacationers bring TL 500 mln in profits to tourism sector during Ramadan Holiday
The tourism spending of vacationers during Eid al-Fitr, a three-day religious holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, has given the tourism sector over TL 500 million ($260 million) in profit.
According to Turkish Association of Travel Agents (TÜRSAB) Chairman Başaran Ulusoy, people flocked to towns along the coast during the holiday, with about 1 million people preferring to spend their vacation within the country and only 120,000 going abroad. He said about 400,000 of the 1 million who stayed in Turkey joined tours and that those who went abroad had spent around TL 60 million.
Noting that 80 percent of the spots on the tours were sold in early bookings, Ulusoy said the popular tourist destinations of Antalya, Bodrum, Marmaris and Fethiye were all full. “Greece was particularly popular among those traveling abroad due to the easy access to visas. We predict we’ll send over a million tourists to Greece in 2014.”
15.08.2013
SOURCE: MEDIA
We do not verify above stories neither do we vouch for their accuracy.
