Turkish Airlines (THY) General Manager Temel Kotil is continuing his efforts to make the air carrier the biggest in the world Anadoily Agency reported.
The airline has planned 13 new destinations in Africa in 2014, including Mali, Guinea, Benin, Nigeria and Angola, according to Kotil.
Turkish Airlines are currently the leading airline in Europe, a region with a billion travellers and one third of the world's aviation industry's market share. THY plans to expand by buying new aircrafts this year, aiming to have 262 new planes by 2021. The airline is also targeting a US$24 billion turnover, with 120 million passengers, by the year 2023.
Turkish Airlines' general manager stated that in 2030 the aviation industry will be completely different: Asian aviation will grow to be three times bigger and will become as developed as Europe or America.
Turkish Airlines will also start flying to new cities in Europe, such as Krakow (Poland), La Coruna (Spain), Nantes (France), Pisa (Italy); as well as new destinations in America, the Middle and Far East.
Kotil stated that even though Western airlines have lost the market, Turkish Airlines has been continuing to increase its market share.
"By the end of this year our market share should have a 1.9 percent rise," said the general manager. "Why is Turkish Airlines successful? We achieved what we believed in, we invested and we were not afraid of anything. We are not going to slow down our pace."
Kotil stated that he hopes that in four or five years the airlines will receive a 4 percent market share, which will make it the biggest airlines in the world.
Turkish Airlines just last week won the "Leader of the Year" award, one of the most prestigious in the aviation industry, at the Air Transport News Awards.
Turkish Airlines' new African destinations are: Bamako, Mali; Conakry, Guinea; Cotonou, Benin; Abuja, Nigeria; Luanda, Angola; Juba, Sudan; Asmara, Eritrea; Luxor and Aswan in Egypt; and Constantine, Tiemcen, Oran and Batna in Algeria.