Turkish adds Xi’an to its network

Offering its guests the opportunity to fly directly to 126 countries from Istanbul, Turkish Airlines added Xi’an, the Chinese city with 3,000 years of history, to its flight network on Dec 30. Xi’an became the flag carrier’s fourth destination in Mainland China and the 318th destination in the world.

The flights will be operated three times a week with Airbus A330 aircrafts. Starting its flights to People’s Republic of China back in 1999 with Beijing as its destination, Turkish Airlines reinforced its strong position in Asia with the Xi’an flights. With this new addition, the global carrier’s flight network encompasses the entirety of the historical Silk Road that started in Xi’an and ended in Venice.

During the ceremony of the inaugural flight, Bilal Eksi, General Manager, Turkish Airlines, stated, “We conclude the year by adding a very special city to our flight network after numerous innovations in various areas and the move to our new home that took place during 2019.

We will carry our guests to 126 countries from Xi’an, one of the most significant historical capitals while transferring the historical Silk Road to above clouds with our cargo operations. Our new flights will also contribute to the tourist numbers coming to our country with the increasing attention from Chinese tourists to tourism centres of Turkey.”

Turkish Airlines passengers travelling to Xi’an will have the opportunity to explore the numerous cultural heritages along with the historical fabric of the three thousand years old city. Serving as the capital of 13 different dynasties during the history of China, the region’s most popular destination is the Terracotta Army, which draws over two million tourists annually. Hidden underground for nearly 2,200 years, it was first discovered in 1974. Featuring 8,000 terracotta soldiers, it is considered as the eighth wonder of the world.