Turkish national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) said here Wednesday the number of its passengers jumped by 10.1 percent in the first ten months of 2009, Xinhua reported.
   The airline carried 20.9 million passengers during the ten months compared with 19 million in the same period of last year, according to its statement.
   The company has focused on corporate clients and organic growth rather than buyouts to increase market share.
   However, THY said its occupancy rate dropped 3.6 points to 71.5 percent in this period.
   THY is the fourth biggest airline company in Association of European Airlines (AEA). The number of passengers THY carried between 2003 and 2008 rose 116 percent.
   The number of landings rose 11.2 percent to 176,459 in the same period.
   Turkish Airlines is expanding its network and buying more planes, using Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport as a hub for flights to Europe, Asia and Africa in partnership with the Star Alliance group of airlines.
   The government plans an airport in Istanbul with a capacity of 60 million passengers annually to meet rising demand for air travel.