Istanbul hosts 28K Turkish Airlines stopover passengers

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Airlines, Turkey's flag carrier air company, hosted in Istanbul 28,000 passengers from 28 countries in its stopover project over the past two years, the company said Friday.

The national flag carrier added 16 countries, including Japan, China, and India, in its stopover service program, according to a statement from the company.

The free stopover accommodation service began in March 2017, the statement said.

"We aim to expand the scope of our project, which contributes to the development of our country's tourism through new Istanbul Airport," Ahmet Olmustur, Turkish Airlines’ chief marketing officer, said.

Turkish Airlines, founded in 1933 with a fleet of five aircraft, currently has more than 330 aircraft, including passenger and cargo planes.

It flies to 306 destinations in 124 countries. Last year, Turkish Airlines carried 75.2 million passengers with a seat occupancy rate of 82 percent.