Istanbul-Phuket en route to open

Turkish Airlines will make Phuket its second port of call in Thailand with the launch of regular flights starting in July. The airline is to operate 4 non-stop flights a week between Istanbul and Phuket beginning July 17 with A330-300 wide-body jets, according to insiders. It will be the first time in Turkish's 27-year history in Thailand to serve a destination beyond the Thai capital from Istanbul. Turkish aims for holidaymakers from Europe to fill the seats on board the Airbus A330-300, configured with 28 business-class seats and 261 in economy, on the Istanbul-Phuket route. The launch is timed to take advantage of the European summer holiday season that brings many visitors to the Thai resorts. Critical flight slot constraints at Phuket airport were a major consideration leading Turkish to launch the Istanbul-Phuket service at this time. <br/>