Bucking global crisis, Turkish air carriers post gains

The number of airline passengers in Turkey reached 66 million this January-October, a 6.3 percent year-on-year increase, state airport authority DHMI announced yesterday. Nearly 7 million people traveled by air in October, an 8.2 percent year-on-year increase. The total number of flights in January-October rose 7.4 percent over the same period last year. Since the beginning of 2008, Istanbul Ataturk Airport saw 20.1 million passengers, followed by Antalya Airport with 17.7 million. Izmir's Adnan Menderes Airport had the third-largest number of travelers, welcoming 4.7 million, while Esenboga Airport in Ankara saw 4.6 million passengers in the same period. In the face of the global financial crisis, airlines in Turkey have mounted campaigns offering discounted airfares, helping to produce gains despite the crisis.