Write: Serdar Turan - Photo: Ahmet Bilal Arslan

Our Devotion Won’t End Until All Cities Are Connected

It is necessary to handle this process in a few phases. In the first phase, we had established the structure of AnadoluJet around Ankara, focusing on domestic flights.

How do you evaluate AnadoluJet’s development process?
Our purpose there was to connect our capital to the other provinces through the direct flights it deserved. On the other hand, considering Ankara the geographical center of Turkey, we aimed at the interconnection of Anatolia. We can make people fly from Van to Izmir, from Trabzon to Antalya, and from Erzurum to Tekirdağ, connecting all Anatolian cities to each other with short connection times thanks to Ankara’s recently renovated airport. And as Ankara-bound flights that normally receive little demand are bolstered by transit traffic, we are able to arrange more flights during the day.

Thus, as we gain the ability to organize flights to Ankara at different times of the day, we can also carry more transit passengers through increasing possibilities for connections. We have, to a large extent, met the need for quick and economic transportation between different parts of Anatolia. Consequently, Ankara became the domestic transit center of Turkey. More domestic transit passengers are transported through Ankara than Istanbul.

In the second phase, we began Ankara based international flights. Istanbul’s airport has become overcrowded. Carrying passengers who arrived from abroad and were bound for Anatolia through Ankara was vastly more preferable for the customers and Turkish Airlines alike. Moreover, Ankara is the only international airport in a very wide area. For these reasons, establishing Ankara as a center is also in line with the preferences of the passengers. Ankara also has a certain demand for international flights, being the capital of the country. All these have formed the basis of our international flight strategy. Our international destinations, which we began serving in May, are very successful thus far.

We see that Anadolujet’s activities in Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen are continually increasing. What does Sabiha Gökçen signify in AnadoluJet’s strategy?
When AnadoluJet was first established, although their numbers were low, we had flights from Sabiha Gökçen. We decided on Ankara as the base for AnadoluJet and arranged our operations accordingly. Meanwhile, we see that Sabiha Gökçen has been one of the airports to increase its number of passengers the most in the recent term. That Atatürk Airport has reached the limits of its capacity and that Istanbul’s Anatolian side has become a center of attraction following rapid development has had an important role in our interest in Sabiha Gökçen.

We also wanted the people in Istanbul to benefit from fast and economic transportation privileges as well. Regarding this point, we decided to increase the number of our existing flights from Sabiha Gökçen. As of August 2nd, we shall be taking over Turkish Airline’s flights from Sabiha Gökçen. We also intend to diversify our flights with the additions of Cyprus, Kayseri, Samsun, and Nakhichevan.

What kind of a growth potential do you foresee?
Sabiha Gökçen is an airport that has proven itself. Since 2005, the airport has increased its number of passengers and became the shining star of civil aviation. It is preferred by over 60 airlines. All of this attention brings Sabiha Gökçen to the forefront with regard to its potential for growth. These days we’re even seeing bottlenecks at certain hours at Sabiha Gökçen, which is approaching the limits of its capacity. This is also a beautiful development which shows just how far aviation in Turkey has come.

AnadoluJet has achieved considerable growth and success within a short period. What is your evaluation of this process?
We began in April of 2008 with
5 planes and we entered 2010 with 11 planes. We currently have 17 planes, and by August 2nd we shall have reached 22 planes, which is nearly beyond what we could imagine. The acceptance of our business model by the masses is of great importance here. It should not be forgotten that fast and economic transportation is not a privilege, but a necessity. Transportation is like the barometer of economy. Business travel is a sign of commercial activity, while touristic travel is an indicator of a rise in consumer trust.

The changing social life of a young and dynamic population and the need for transportation which comes with this is key to the rapid development of the aviation sector in Turkey. Actually, this need has always been present in Turkey, but the transition from overland travel to air travel has been expedited. Although the statistics for land travel increased as well, the main address for Turkey’s growing need for transportation has been the airlines. This growth is still in its beginning stages and we believe that we shall be seeing growth rates in the digit double digits for several years.

What are your dreams about AnadoluJet?
Goals and dreams sometimes have no end. We are thinking of transforming some Anatolian cities into important flight centers after we address Turkey’s transportation needs from its center in Ankara. For instance, why shouldn’t there be direct flights from Adana, Bursa, Antalya, or Bodrum? The Çukurova Airport, whose construction is currently on the agenda, will be half an hour away from both Adana and Mersin, and 10 minutes away from Tarsus. It will serve a population equal to that of Ankara.

Why shouldn’t Adana be the next flight center after Ankara? Instead of repeating the same model, why not achieve something that has never been done before? Our dream will continue until all provinces in Turkey have direct flights. Of course, for this to happen, there is a need for an increase in demand and some time for development.