Turkish Airlines passengers rise 8.3 pct

By Bahattin Gonultas

ANKARA (AA) - The total number of passengers Turkish Airlines carried from Jan-Nov rose 8.3 percent, compared to the same period last year, Turkey's flag-carrier said Friday.

According to a statement sent to Turkey's Public Disclosure Platform (KAP), the airline carried more than 63.1 million passengers in the first 11 months of the year.

The number of passengers on its domestic flights increased 9.1 percent year-on-year.

Over the same period, the airline's passenger load factor or seat occupancy increased by 1.7 percentage points to 84.1 percent.

In November, the airline carried 5.3 million passengers, indicating an annual rise of 18.4 percent.

The company said the increase in passengers it carried last month in its Far East, Africa, Middle East, and domestic lines was 9.9, 9.3, 8.1, and 9.4 percent, respectively.