On May 4 Boeign 777-300ER of Turkish Airlines successfully landed in Tocumen therefore completing its first Panama-Istanbul flight. Panama became the 14th destination within the airline expansion campaign.
The new route will be operated with the smaller Airbus A330-200 with the total capacity of 250 people, the initial frequency will 3 times per week, flights depart every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday with the arrival to Panama City at 11:00 P.M. local time and the following flight back should arrive to Istanbul 9:25 the following day. The non-stop flight between two capitals takes nearly 13 and a half hours.
Turkish Airlines marketing director sounded very excited as he informed that so far things go even "beyond their expectations". The company is sure to be in Latina America from now on for a very long time.
The inaugural flight with almost 250 passengers on board brought travelers from all corners of the world including Holland, Russia, Belgium and even the Philippines. The officials of the airline are confident that the new route will be a success for the both the company and the country.
Similar to Lufthansa (which already launched a direct flight to Panama City earlier this year), Copa airlines, Turkish is a part of the Star Alliance group that uses Tocumen International as the main hub for the Americas and the Caribbean. This allows the alliance to share code with the many associates in the region.
The general manager of the Tocumen International, Joseph Fidanque III, noticed that “the new route complements the offers on numerous international destinations that Tocumen offers”. It is also an undeniable fact that Panama is becoming more visible in terms of travel and business.
Turkish Airlines is a four-stars company with a fleet of 304 aircrafts (passenger and cargo) and it offers regular flights to 285 destination around the world.
