Turkish, Finnish flag carriers sign codeshare deal

ANKARA

Flag carriers of Turkey and Finland have signed a codeshare agreement to expand destinations in networks of both Turkish Airlines and Finnair.

Set to begin on Sept. 29, the deal on flights between Istanbul and Helsinki and beyond will open up new destinations for travelers, Turkish Airlines said in a statement on Thursday.

The deal will help increase the commercial and tourism ties of the two countries, Ahmet Bolat, Turkish Airlines’ chief investment and technology officer, said.

"With the introduction of joint flights on several destinations in Finland, Turkey and Baltics, Iceland, South Europe, North Africa, and Middle East, passengers would enjoy more travel alternatives through the combined flights," Bolat stated.

Ole Orver, Finnair chief commercial officer, welcomed the deal as it will offer more options to the passengers amid the coronavirus pandemic

“We also welcome Turkish Airlines’ customers to explore the beautiful Nordics through our extensive network of connections from Helsinki,” Orver said.

Turkish Airlines currently operates to more than 300 international passenger and cargo destinations in 127 countries.

Finnair is a network airline, specialized in connecting passenger and cargo traffic between Asia and Europe via the short northern route.