Istanbul Bulletin

Operating in tourism industry for 28 years, Intra Tourism Group, a partner company of ICVB PCO member TEAMCON, brings all of its tourism companies under one roof by moving a new location.

The group will operate in incoming market by “Intra Tours”, in Congress and Seminar Organizations by Intra Travel and in aircraft broker business by INAIR Aviation & Brokerage.

Intra Tourism Group CEO Ertugrul Karaoglu said that they see a great potential in new markets especially at Middle East and Turkish Republics.

The Marmara Hotels & Residences
To Invest $1.5 Billion for International Expansion

Serdar Alp Turan, General Coordinator of The Marmara Hotels & Residences, announced at a press conference in Turkey the company's plans to expand its collection globally with a projected 40 additional hotels within the next 10 years.

The privately owned and operated company is the second largest Turkish hotel chain in Turkey. The Marmara Hotels & Residences' distinguished collection currently includes five hotels in Turkey's most popular tourism destinations; Istanbul, Bodrum, and Antalya, 10 Residences on the Asian side of Istanbul, The Marmara Esma Sultan, an event venue in Istanbul as well as Marmara Manhattan in New York City.

Since the opening of its flagship property The Marmara Istanbul in May 1990, the group has operated under the philosophy of creating unique hotels in Turkey's prime tourism destinations that reflect the local culture, setting, and Turkish commitment to hospitality.

As The Marmara Hotels & Residences looks towards global expansion, it plans to take that philosophy around the world, as the group adds four- and five-star city centre hotels in other rapidly growing tourism regions of Turkey, as well as New York City, Eastern and South eastern Europe and Eurasia in cities including Sofia, Baku, Bucharest, St. Petersburg and Kiev.

The Marmara's third hotel in Istanbul, The Marmara Şişli, a 107-room, four-star hotel located in the Mecidiyeköy neighbourhood, close to the city's business and shopping districts, is scheduled to open in September 2008 after the group invested close to $6 million dollars in renovations this year.

About The Marmara Hotels & Residences
The Marmara Hotels & Residences marry the warmth of Turkish hospitality with European style. Turkey's most prestigious hotel collection offers spectacular locations, stunning views, great architecture, and warm service throughout its hotel properties including: The Marmara Istanbul in the heart of Taksim Square, The Marmara Pera in historic old Istanbul, The Marmara Bodrum, a seaside resort on the Aegean coast, The Marmara Antalya, the world's first and only revolving hotel and The Marmara Manhattan, a home away from home in the fashionable Upper East Side neighbourhood of New York City.

These hotels operate under the philosophy that "Living Well Is The Best Revenge" thereby offering guests the ULTIMATE luxury experience.

Turkish Airlines has extended the contract for use of the advance market information suite from Lufthansa Systems, a full-service IT provider to the airline industry, for another three years.

By analyzing market information data tapes (MIDT) data the flexible solution is expected to enable Turkish Airlines (TA) to identify trends and market opportunities and to make its network management strategy more efficient.

The historical data from airline reservations systems are an important base for network planning and strategy of international airlines.

Booking data of MIDT combined with other data sources offer a wide range of information. The MIDT advance suite processes this information and enables the user to make complex and economic relevant decisions for distribution, network structure and capacity planning.
Source: cbronline.com

Mechtronix Systems Inc. (MSI), the fastest growing and third leading provider of flight training equipment in the world, announced the purchase by Turkish Airlines (THY) for the advanced flight trainer, the Ascent(R) XJ Trainer(TM).

THY plans to deploy this cost-effective commercial jet Multi Crew Cooperation platform at its ab-initio school by fall of 2008.

The new simulator will serve the airline by familiarizing its students with the commercial jet flight deck, FMS, EFIS, performance and speed. THY becomes the first airline in Europe to select the Ascent(R) XJ Trainer(TM). In addition to providing a jet flight model, the device can later be upgraded to a generic turboprop providing extra flexibility. The Ascent(R) XJ Trainer(TM) also offers exceptional Full Flight Simulator comparable visual system fidelity featuring a 180degrees Field of View. The airline will be looking to obtain FNPT II MCC certification under JAR-STD 3A.

"We look at our purchase of the Ascent(R) XJ Trainer(TM) device as a smart investment for MCC training that will give our pilots a unique and early perspective in the training process on how to handle jet aircraft", said Baki Boztepe, Director of flying academy at THY. "Our fleet consists of various aircrafts and we need efficient technology that can be used for MCC training in a jet environment meeting our goal by effectively integrating and developing the best pilots in the industry. With the Ascent(R) device, we will have a truly economical and flexible machine serving our ab-initio needs while freeing up our other full motion simulators to perform the essential functions such as type rating and recurrent training."

"We are very pleased to provide a world class airline in the region like THY with technology that is truly tailored to improve their pilot provisioning programs," said Mechtronix President Mr. Xavier Herve. "With this sale, Mechtronix continues to show that it is providing the best and most cost effective products to growing markets like Turkey and others around the world that value high quality pilot supply. Our development of jet transition devices and its growing demand in the market demonstrate that we are a true leader in providing tools ideally suited to obtain a high level of proficiency for new pilots.

Turkish Airlines opened its Vietnam representative office in Hanoi last month and named the Huong Giang Aviation Service Company as its general agent in the country.

The carrier will joint Vietnam Airlines and Thai Airways to offer flights from Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City to Istanbul via Bangkok, and then to other cities in the world, according to the airline’s Southeast Asian regional director Bahri Yilmaz.

The airline is negotiating with agencies to offer ticket packages from Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City to European cities via Istanbul, the Viet Nam News Agency said.

Last month, Turkish Airlines forged partnership with Indonesian flag carrier Garuda to expand their market network in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Turkish Airlines' (THY) transit passengers, who come from abroad and change flights in Istanbul, can tour the city instead of waiting for the next flight at the airport.

THY offers its transit passengers the opportunity to rest at a hotel or tour the historical places of the city with a guide while waiting for their connection flights in Istanbul.

In order for the transit passengers to benefit from this opportunity, passengers travelling in business class should have an at least 7-hour waiting period prior to their connection flights, while those flying in economy class should have a waiting period of 10 hours minimum, THY officials said.

The "guided Istanbul tour" scheduled for transit passengers start at 8:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. every day.

The passengers can visit Istanbul's famous historical places such as the Topkapi Palace, Sultanahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque), Sultanahmet Square (Hippodrome), Galata Mevlevihanesi (Galata Mevlevi Dervish Lodge), Ayasofya Museum (Hagia Sophia) and the Archaeology Museum within the framework of the tour.