Pursuits
Turkish Air CEO Builds a Business on Layovers as Tourism Plunges
- Flag carrier managing a slump in demand for travel to Turkey
- CEO Temel Kotil downplays impact of a lost tourism season
This article is for subscribers only.
Temel Kotil is leaning over his seat, imploring a passenger behind him to take a glass of juice: "It’s fresh, try it," he says as a flight attendant displays three different varieties on a tray.
The man in the second row, unaware that he’s talking to the head of Turkish Airlines, has other concerns. The flight is 52 minutes late out of New York, and he’s got a connection to make to Odessa. The Airbus A330 is full of people making their way to Ukraine for business, Croatia for holiday or on to Africa and the Middle East via Istanbul. Kotil is keen to reassure them.