THY Launches Link to Mogadishu

Turkish Airlines (THY) launched flights between Istanbul and the Somali capital Mogadishu on March 5, 2012, the first scheduled air link into Somalia from outside of Africa for about 20 years. The airline’s inaugural flight included a high-level delegation from Ankara, including Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bosdag and was welcomed in Mogadishu the following day by Somalia's President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

THY is offering a twice weekly service to Mogadishu via the Sudanese capital Khartoum. In the past year an estimated 158,000 O&D passengers flew in or out of the East African country on scheduled air services. The majority of passengers are travelling into Djibouti, Kenya and Saudi Arabia from Mogadishu and Hargeisa on the flights of African Express Airways and Jubba Airways.

There is only limited data on demand between Somalia and destinations outside of Africa but THY expects to generate some traffic from aid agencies and humanitarian staff entering the country. By serving Mogadishu as an extension of the Istanbul – Khartoum service it is minimising the risk of the new route as already around 23,000 O&D passengers use the link to/from the Sudanese capital. This route is operated on a daily basis but will now see nine weekly frequencies following the introduction of the new Mogadishu link.