The launch of a new route to Seville (SVQ), Spain, on September 17, 2025, provided the backdrop for Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee member Ahmet Bolat to reassert the airline’s commitment to continued growth in Spain and Latin America.
The Turkish flag carrier celebrated the start of its new daily nonstop service between its Istanbul (IST) hub and the Andalusian capital with a major event in Seville, which was also attended by the Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, and featured a photo exhibition and cultural activities showcasing destinations across Turkey.
During a media Q&A session, and in addition to reiterating the carrier’s ambitious global growth plans, Bolat highlighted the potential for tourism traffic growth between Spain and Turkey, as well as closer business ties between the two countries. He also noted that the governments of both countries have recently aligned on several matters, from defense cooperation programs to their stance on the Gaza conflict.
Bolat explained that the launch of the Seville route stems from a detailed assessment of Spanish market potential, where Turkish Airlines already serves five other cities. He highlighted the airline’s successful 12-year operation in Malaga (AGP), another Andalusian city, as the blueprint for the launch of the new service to Seville.
Turkish Airlines also sees Spain as a springboard for the Latin American market. When asked about the recent deal to acquire a minority equity stake in Spain’s second-largest carrier, Air Europa, Bolat emphasized that the relationship would be collaborative rather than controlling. He also confirmed that both carriers are working to cooperate in areas such as loyalty programs but did not provide any additional details.
Bolat explained that closer alignment between the carriers will help Turkish Airlines expand further into the Latin American market by leveraging Air Europa’s well-established presence there. Turkish Airlines already flies to several destinations in the region, including some of its largest urban centers such as Buenos Aires (EZE), Sao Paulo (GRU), Santiago de Chile (SCL), and Bogota (BOG), but it aims to draw more traffic from it. Bolat highlighted Turkey’s growing interest in the region as a tourist destination.
Tourism as a driver for further growth
Beyond its role as a major intercontinental connector, Turkish Airlines also promotes Turkey as a tourist destination, emphasizing the country’s rich historical and natural heritage. World Heritage sites, such as Göbekli Tepe, a 12,000-year-old site in southeastern Turkey which is considered the earliest example of permanent human construction, feature prominently in the airline’s marketing materials as and are expected to play a significant role in diversifying tourist flows beyond Istanbul.
Bolat expressed his conviction that tourist flows between Spain and Turkey, two countries which are already the world’s second and fourth most visited, will continue to increase, with Turkish Airlines’ group airlines (which also includes AJet and SunExpress) potentially carrying some 400,000 annual passengers in both directions within just a few years.
Also on September 17, 2025, Turkish Airlines launched a new route to Port Sudan (PZU), the second largest city in the eponymous African country and its main outlet to the Red Sea. This service will operate twice weekly until September 29, 2025, when it will be increased to three times per week.
