At a ceremony held in Istanbul, Turkish Airlines has been
welcomed as the 20th Star Alliance member airline.With an additional 31 destinations - mainly in
Turkey, Central Asia and the Middle East, customers now have more choice than ever before when
travelling on the Star Alliance network. Overall, the world’s most experienced aviation alliance now offers
customers the choice of 18,000 daily flights serving 965 airports in 162 countries.

“With Turkish Airlines we have gained a new member carrier with a strong home market which is also
one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Moreover, we can now offer the Star Alliance benefits
to a large number of new travellers, while at the same time simplifying travel for our existing customers
to many of the new emerging markets in Central Asia and the Middle East,” said Jaan Albrecht, Star
Alliance CEO. 

Turkish Airlines is already one of the fastest growing airlines in Europe (passenger traffic growth of
23.5% according to AEA [Association of European Airlines]) and holds a strategic position between
Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Dr. Temel Kotil, the CEO of Turkish Airlines commented: “This year Turkish Airlines celebrates its 75th
anniversary and joining the alliance is an important step for the airline’s future, building on its strength of
bridging Europe and Asia through its Istanbul hub and thereby adding value to the Star Alliance
network.”

Turkish Airlines has already outlined its further expansion course both in terms of network and fleet. By
the end of the year Turkish Airlines plans to start flying to 11 new destinations and add an additional 22 aircraft. This will further improve the flight
connections provided by the Star Alliance network.

Dr. Candan Karlitekin, Chairman of the Turkish Airlines said: “Joining Star Alliance is an important step
for Turkish Airlines in becoming a major player and global airline in the world of aviation. For this we
have raised our own internal targets in order to provide a world-class service to the 493 million
passengers a year flying on the Star Alliance network.” 
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