Somalia News: Turkish Airlines to fly to Mogadishu
Indian airport authority officials gather for the recovery operation of a Turkish Airlines plane near the tarmac of Mumbai airport on Sept. 2, 2011.
NAIROBI, Kenya — Turkish Airlines is due to start flights to Mogadishu next month.
The idea was first mooted in October when the national carrier announced it would soon begin flights "subject to aircraft availability and flight safety evaluation."
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The announcement came two months after Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, visited the Somali capital kicking off an impressive diplomatic, humanitarian and investment drive in the chaotic country.
Prime Minister Erdogan outlined his country's support to Somalia in an article on the Foreign Policy website last year.
The flights will go twice a week via Khartoum, Sudan, and signal a further uptick in Turkish interest in Somalia.
There is already a working embassy in Mogadishu and the ambassador is a regular fixture up at Villa Somalia, the seat of government.
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