THAI and Turkish Airlines Form Joint Venture Partnership

Thai Airways and Turkish Airlines have inked a Memorandum of Understanding, aiming to establish a joint venture. The partnership targets the burgeoning and competitive Asia-to-Europe air traffic, as reported by the Bangkok Post.

Bilal Ekşi, CEO of Turkish Airlines, emphasized the significance of the agreement, saying, “This marks a significant step in the collaboration between Turkish Airlines and THAI, combining the cultural legacies of Turkey and Thailand.”

The collaboration is set to amplify connectivity between the two regions, ensuring smooth and convenient travel for passengers. Additionally, it will expand the scope of destinations and services accessible through the networks of both airlines.

Chai Eamsiri, CEO of THAI, commented, “This collaboration is set to optimize the operational efficiencies of both THAI and Turkish Airlines, particularly in terms of enhancing connectivity and extending our combined route network.”

“Our valued passengers will experience seamless travel options between Thailand and Turkey, and beyond, encompassing various destinations in Europe and Asia, leveraging the comprehensive networks of THAI and Turkish Airlines.”

MOU Breakdown

The memorandum outlines that THAI is preparing for daily flights to Istanbul, scheduled to commence by the end of this year, specifically in December, as reported by aeroportist.com. Details regarding the aircraft type and specific flight schedule have yet to be unveiled.

Turkish Airlines have been operating in the Thai capital for many years, with the current 2 flights per day on a Boeing 777 and the A330. THAI launching the Bangkok to Istanbul route will help correct the asymmetric traffic flow between the two cities served only by Turkish Airlines. 

The joint venture makes sense as both airlines are members of Star Alliance, with THAI being the first of five founding members.

Istanbul is known to be the world’s most connected airport, alongside Dubai and Doha. Bangkok on the other hand is less connected but is strategically located within Asia, as Bangkok acts as a cross-bridge between Oceania and Europe.

With THAI launching the Bangkok – Istanbul service, this will make the two cities more connected than ever with three flights daily. Passengers originating from Bangkok may fly to Istanbul more conveniently and fly to secondary cities in the Middle East and Europe.

With more flights connecting Bangkok and Istanbul, this makes Europe closer to Bangkok, as many Europeans travel to Thailand for holidays.

Vice-versa, Europeans living in secondary cities in Europe, of which Turkish Airlines flies a lot, can now fly to the Thai capital seamlessly via its gigantic hub in Istanbul.

In addition, with the MOU signed, Europeans or Turkish alike can now fly to Australia via Bangkok using Thai Airways’ award-winning services. 

With the two airlines joining-hand-in-hand, this will promote tourism between Türkiye which has a population of 85 million, and Thailand with 71 million respectively.