The first flight numbered TK 1373, which took off from Istanbul at 06.45 in the morning, landed at Palermo Airport at 8.30 am local time.

At the ceremony held here, Palermo Airport General Manager Natalie Chieppa and Airport President Salvatore Burrafato welcomed the delegation with flowers, along with Istanbul Airport Civil Administrative Officer İlker Haktankaçmaz and THY General Manager Bilal Ekşi.

Speaking at the press conference held after the first plane was welcomed and a souvenir photo taken, Bilal Ekşi said, “We are pleased to add Palermo, which is our 344th flight destination in the world and 9th in Italy, to our flight network. By strengthening our bond with Italy, we offer our guests with Turkish Airlines. We aim to offer the privileges of flying and bring them to the beauties stretching from Istanbul to Palermo.”

Referring to Turkey’s aid to Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ekşi continued as follows:


“During the pandemic period, as THY, we did our best to stand by our friendly country Italy. As a result of these efforts, I was awarded the Knight of the Star Order of Italy on behalf of our company and our employees. I am proud to receive and carry this medal, as an indicator of the friendship between the two countries. Long live the friendship between Italy and Turkey.”

Natalie Chieppa, General Manager of Palermo Airport, said, “We have been negotiating for these flights for 4 years, but after the pandemic, we were lucky. THY’s flight to Palermo will increase the quality of this airport. THY is one of the largest airlines in the world. We can say that it is the largest. We will be very happy to work for the Arabian Peninsula,” he said.

Planned flights to Palermo will be operated by Boeing 737-800 type aircraft from Istanbul Airport to Punta Raisi Airport. Istanbul-Palermo flights will be operated 4 days a week, Monday, Friday, Wednesday and Sunday. Citizens will be able to travel with prices starting from $259, including all taxes, for the opening round trip.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *