Following the ‘Great Move’, first flight from Istanbul Airport was to the Ankara, just like 86 years ago

         Turkish Airlines’ first flight from its new home, Istanbul Airport, after its final transfer operation, was to the capital, just like the first flight of the flag carrier 86 years ago.

            Atatürk Airport was the witness to the flag carrier airline’s steady local and global rise since its founding and Turkish Airlines’ final passenger flight from this transfer hub was the Singapore flight that took place at 02:00 on April 6th.

            After this significant final flight that will find itself in the annals of Turkish Airlines, another similarly important flight was the first one from Istanbul Airport following the “Great Move” process. Just like the first flight of the national flag carrier 86 years ago, the first flight from Istanbul Airport was bound for the capital. TC-JSY tail coded plane took off from Istanbul Airport at 14:00 to Ankara Esenboğa Airport with its 172 passengers and 8 cabin crew.

            Sharing his thoughts about this first flight which followed the final moving operations, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, M. İlker Aycı stated; “As we enter a new era where we will find to great successes as Turkish Airlines, we are happy start with a bit of nostalgia. You may know that, 86 years ago, our first domestic flight was bound for Ankara. Today in our new home, we open the doors of a new adventure and fly to our capital once again for our first flight. In the future, we will leave many 86 years behind us while feeling the pride of flying our flag in every corner of the world as the family of Turkish Airlines with the capabilities offered to us by our new home, this “Monument of Victory.”

            After the last passenger flight from Atatürk Airport, which was bound for Singapore, both Atatürk Airport and Istanbul Airport were closed to all passenger flights between 02:00 and 14:00 on April 6th. Operations after the move began with the national flag carrier’s first flight from Istanbul Airport to Ankara Esenboğa Airport took off at 14:00. Following this flight, Turkish Airlines operations from Istanbul Airport will be increased in stages according to the set plan.