Turkish Airlines eases visa restrictions; inks block agreement with Borajet

Turkish Airlines said that changes made by the Turkish government will allow citizens from 46 countries in sub-Saharan Africa to be granted visas at Istanbul Ataturk if they also have valid Schengen, UK or US visas in their passports and possess a round-trip THY ticket.

With the reinforcement of this new regulation, THY said it expects “a boom in the commercial ties and the number of passengers flying Turkish Airlines.” CEO Hamdi Topcu noted it has been “difficult for citizens to apply for visas because of the remote locations of Turkish embassies in many countries in Africa.” 

The eased visa regulations also include citizens from Angola, Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Gambia, Cameron, Comoros, Congo, D. Congo, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somali, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Separately, THY announced it signed a block space agreement with Borajet for its AnadoluJet operations covering all the routes where the Turkish regional carrier operates, including Ankara to Adıyaman, Kahramanmaras, Siirt, Canakkale and Tekirdag and from Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen to Canakkale, Isparta, Nahcivan, Usak and Tokat. Borajet operates four ATR 72-500s and earlier this month purchased a fifth new one. It launched regional operations in May last year with three former Alitalia ATR 72s.