ISLAMABAD, OCT 07 (DNA) – Pakistan offers conducive business environment therefore Turkish businessmen particularly are coming to Pakistan for investment purposes, said Yunus Mert General Manager Turkish Airlines, while talking to DNA on Friday.

He said, the Turkish Airlines, within a very short period of time, has become one of the most popular airlines in Pakistan.

“We attribute our success to three things; commitment towards our customers, relentless efforts despite odd situations and superior service quality. In addition, our love towards Pakistan as our brother country is reflected in our endeavors.

In a short span of time we have assessed market trends and designed tailor-made strategies for our people. We bring personal touch in our service delivery and that is well defused in this market, he added.

To a question he said, there is no doubt that Pakistan is a very lucrative aviation industry which has very high big potential. Of course we would like to connect more cities between two countries but in short term we do not have a definitive plan to further expand the operations.

Currently we are operating wide body aircrafts A330 and operating daily flights from Islamabad and Lahore, while two daily flights from Karachi.

He added, Turkish Airlines has tailor made product for corporate companies. We call it “Turkish Corporate Club”. It is an attractive package full of discounts, excess baggage, pre-boarding benefits etc.

All these incentives are provided to help businesses streamline their cost and control their annual spending on traveling.

Very recently, we have signed an MOU with Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry to bring them on board. Turkish Corporate Club comprise of fortune 500 companies working in Pakistan and covers SMEs and other industries as well.

Talking about the security situation of Pakistan he said, “In my perspective, Pakistan is a beautiful and safe country. Ever since I have been here security situation is a lot better. Pakistan is land of opportunities with conducive business environment for foreign investors”.

It is a fact the business climate in Pakistan has shown tremendous improvement. So far, more than half of the multinationals are operating in Pakistan which is a promising figure for all of us.

When it comes to business then Pakistan stands at a better position as compared to the other 10 regional countries. Personally I consider Pakistan as my own country, therefore, I do not see any serious security problem, he added.

Yunus Mert said, competition is always healthy for survival and serves as a motivating factor for us. We are one of the fastest growing airline in the world and we hope to continue with the same spirit. Globally, we have a positive reputation for reliability, for service, for quality.

“We are converting any potential threats into opportunities and exploit the growth and expansion wherever possible”.

Talking about open sky policy he said, the open sky policy implemented by Civil Aviation Authority in Pakistan seems to be positive endeavor to regulate and promote civil aviation activities and to develop an infrastructure for efficient and properly coordinated air transport service in Pakistan.

This undoubtedly is the first step to make operations framework more attractive for the airlines of other countries and making aviation industry more lucrative in Pakistan.

The execution of new air service agreements will definitely boost Pakistan economy by increasing massive flow of passenger numbers through Pakistan airports as well create more employment opportunities due to increased efforts towards maintenance of airport infrastructure.

Moreover, this serves as an unprecedented opportunity for global and regional aviation business entrepreneurs and thus making Pakistan attractive for foreign investors.

Turkish Airlines over the period of time transformed into a global powerhouse in the international aviation industry. Today, we are one of the industry’s largest carrier serving 291 cities in 116 countries. So we fly to more countries than any other airline in the world, he added.

Yunus Mert said, Turkish Airlines proudly takes the claim of having the biggest single hub network of non-stop destinations.

The Star Alliance carrier has now built a significant lead at Istanbul Ataturk Airport over its competitors and looks likely to remain the spearhead for the foreseeable future. Turkish Airlines enjoys the best location as far its Hub is considered.

Owing to the ideal geographical position of its hub, Turkish Airlines is able to cut cost unlike other European carriers. Whilst adding many destinations to its huge network every years, it remains the fastest growing airlines in Europe and worldwide, Mr. Mert added.=DNA

===============