Thai Airways and Turkish Airlines plan to form a strategic joint venture (JV) to enhance connecting opportunities through the networks of both airlines.
The CEOs of the two carriers signed a memorandum of understanding in Istanbul, under which they agreed to “move towards a joint venture agreement.” They did not reveal specifics of what sort of arrangements they would implement or which markets would be affected.
Both airlines are members of the Star Alliance. The JV will enhance their existing relationship, the carriers said.
Turkish is currently the only carrier operating between Turkey and Thailand, with an Istanbul-Bangkok route. Thai Airways plans to start its own daily flights between Bangkok and Istanbul in December.
For the Thai flag-carrier, the flights to Istanbul will help it increase its presence in a region where it has limited services. Thai Airways currently has no flights to Southeast Europe or the Middle East. The airline does have a route to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, although it is currently not operating. The Jeddah route is reportedly slated to resume soon.
The carriers stressed the importance of improving their connectivity via each other’s hubs. The airlines say they will offer “a wider range of destinations and services through both airlines’ networks.”
Thai would be able to enhance its links beyond Istanbul to Europe in particular, while Turkish would gain better connections to Asia and Australia. Thai currently serves seven destinations in Western Europe with its own aircraft, according to CAPA – Centre for Aviation data.
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