Turkish Air's Jan-Feb Passenger Numbers Up 9 Pct

THY Turkish Airlines carried 3.1 million passengers in the first two months of the year, a rise of 9 percent from a year earlier, the company said on Thursday.

The Turkish flag carrier said available seat kilometers rose 11.6 percent to 7.2 billion, and revenue passenger kilometers rose 8.8 percent to 4.8 billion during the two-month period.

The Istanbul-based airline has launched a large-scale expansion program, with plans to buy up to 105 wide-bodied and single-aisle aircraft from Boeing and Airbus.

THY said business class passenger numbers on its international flights rose 7.8 percent in January-February, while international transit passengers were up 51 percent.

The load factor fell 1.7 percentage points to 66.2 percent, while landings rose 8 percent to 28,606, and cargo-mail increased 3.4 percent to 28,839 tonnes.