Turkish Airlines training center gets industry honor

By Izzet Taskiran

ISTANBUL (AA) - The training center for Turkey’s flagship air carrier has been recognized for excellence by a major industry association, Turkish Airlines announced Friday.

Rafael Schvartzman, regional vice president for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Europe, gave the honorary plaque Thursday to Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Eksi in recognition of the Turkish Airlines Aviation Academy.

According to a Turkish Airlines statement, Schvartzman paid a courtesy visit to Eksi in Istanbul and praised the activities of the Turkish Airlines Aviation Academy.

"Turkish Airlines, which shows an innovative approach in every field, also showed an innovative approach in this field and this is the most important factor in students' success," Schvartzman said during his visit.

Receiving the plaque, Eksi, praised the academy and thanked the IATA.

"The Turkish Airlines Aviation Academy was founded to meet the training needs of Turkish Airlines, Turkey’s first airline as well as one of Europe’s leading airlines. It has transformed over the years into an institution that offers training courses to people from many different companies both in Turkey and abroad. The academy has been offering training courses for over 30 years," says Turkish Airlines’ website.

The academy is continuing its education programs in cooperation with the IATA. Last year, the academy did 53 IATA education programs for more than 800 students.

IATA is a trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 265 airlines or 83 percent of total air traffic.

Turkey's flag carrier has over 330 aircraft and flies to almost 300 destinations around the world, more than any other airline, according to the company. The airline increased its total number of passengers by 2.5 percent year-on-year to reach 62.8 million in 2016, according to a January stock exchange filing report. 11. In the 2016 Skytrax World Airlines Awards, Turkish Airlines was named Europe’s Best Airline for the sixth consecutive year.