Travel Turkey: AJet starts its flights with 104 aircraft
AJet, new brand of Turkish Airlines (THY) made its first flight from Ankara to Istanbul. AJet, which started its scheduled flights with a fleet of 104 aircraft on March 31, also set its 2028 targets. The company aims to carry 24 million passengers and generate $1.8 billion in revenue this year. By 2028, AJet plans to increase its number of aircraft to 200, revenue to $4.1 billion, and passengers to 43 million.
Positioned at Sabiha Gökçen Airport and Esenboğa Airport, AJet aims to increase the current tourist number of 750,000 to 5 million and tourism revenue to $5 billion by targeting 15 cities within a 3-hour distance from Ankara and its surrounding areas with its marketing strategy.
The company will conduct promotional activities targeting Ankara, Cappadocia, Konya, Kayseri, Afyon, Kütahya, Yozgat, Çorum, Amasya, Bolu, Zonguldak, Bartın, Çankırı, and Kastamonu. It will collaborate with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, relevant institutions, and associations to highlight the tourism potential of these cities.
CONNECTING THE WORLD
This year, flights will start from Esenboğa Airport to 22 countries, 31 cities, and 137 frequencies. AJet will fly to 15 cities in Europe, including Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, Geneva, Vienna, Bucharest, Belgrade, Cologne, London, and Basel, as well as 16 cities in the Middle East and Asia. According to a report in Sabah, new countries and cities will be added by 2028.
AJet aims to fly from Ankara to 31 countries, 50 cities, and 300 frequencies by 2028. Additional destinations planned to be added to the flights departing from Ankara in 2028 include Stockholm, Helsinki, Lyon, Brussels, Copenhagen, Kiev, Budapest, Athens, Casablanca, Tunis, Cairo, Tbilisi, Tabriz, Riyadh, and Odessa.
SPECIAL PACKAGES FOR HEALTH TOURISTS
Ahmet Bolat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of THY and AJet, said, “AJet will be the gateway opening Turkey to the world both from Sabiha and Ankara. At THY, we have achieved our 10-year goals in 5 years in many cases. We hope to reach our 2028 goals here in a shorter time as well.”
Bolat emphasized the need to establish a strong ecosystem to achieve these goals, stating that Turkey has 21 historical and cultural sites on the UNESCO Heritage List, while Germany and France have over 50, and the United States has over 30. Bolat commented, “As AJet, by establishing a strong ecosystem in Ankara, we aim to gradually increase the number of tourists coming to Ankara to 5 million within 5 years.
Although there are 446 authorized health service facilities in Ankara, the number of tourists coming to Ankara for health tourism is very low. Our country generates $2.5 billion in revenue from health tourism, but Ankara’s share is low. AJet will offer special packages for individuals and families coming to receive health services.”
