Turkish Airlines' Euro 2016 plane heads for Paris

ANKARA

The first Turkish Airlines’ plane to fly in the livery of the Euro 2016 football tournament set off for Paris on Wednesday, the company said.

Turkish Airlines is the official airline of this summer’s competition in France and an A330-300 jet took off as part of the promotional run-up to the finals, which will begin on June 10 at Stade de France and end a month later in the same stadium.

The paintwork was designed by the airline and UEFA, the governing body of European football.

“Football is a great connector of people, breaking down social and cultural barriers and uniting people around a mutual passion for the game,” the airlines’ Chief Marketing Officer Ahmet Olmustur said.

“We are privileged to be able to connect people from across the globe every day and are delighted to be part of this year’s Euros. This plane is one of the many things we will be doing to excite fans and our passengers in the lead up to this competition.”

Turkish Airlines will be giving away tickets and arranging Euro 2016 “airport experiences” for passengers as well as fan zones in host cities under the deal with UEFA.

The aircraft will fly to a select number of destinations across the Turkish Airlines’ network. The airline has been voted Europe’s best for five consecutive years.

“We are very excited to see our first-ever airline partner’s plans truly taking off,” UEFA Events Marketing Director Guy-Laurent Epstein said. “It will be fantastic to see the plane travelling across Europe and bringing fans together to celebrate the best in European football as we approach the kick-off of UEFA Euro 2016 on 10th June.”