D-8 and Turkish Airlines to Work on “Down-to-Earth” Programs

Istanbul, Turkey | December 27, 2008 by D-8 Secretariat

D-8 Organization to seek workable cooperation programs with THY

Impressed with the excellent performance of the Turkish flag carrier, Turkish Airlines (THY), yesterday D-8 Secretary General, Dipo Alam, paid a courtesy visit to THY headquarters in Istanbul to enrich a deeper understanding as well as to discuss ways on how D-8 Organization could cooperate with this Turkish rising star in the world’s aviation industry. Alam was met with high level executives of the THY, the President Director, Temel KOTİL, Ph.D., and Lale Kaplan, Senior Vice President, International Relations and Alliance.

The meeting was started by a general re-introduction of the D-8 Organization to THY, covering on the establishment of the organization in 1997 to a much recent progress during the 6th Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, earlier this year. The Organization with 930 million population of its member countries possess a huge potentials to be developed, Alam said, bringing into mind the recent total trade in 2007 that figures to US$ 1 trillion (intra-trade was 60 billions US$). With regards to the aviation sector, Alam revealed that D-8 has an estimated number of 30 millions migrant workers in the world, and up to 5 millions umrah visitors each year. This is not to mention around 70 million of tourist that visit D-8 countries annually. “This is a true potential that best to be worked on by our aviation industries,” said Alam, refering to civil aviation players in the D-8 countries.

Currently, D-8 also enjoys three agreements, which are visa agreement, PTA Agreement, and Custom Agreement. Alam also explained about the organizational structure of D-8 with its 15 Working Groups and Business Forums (one of them being the Working Group on Civil Aviation which is assisted by 6 task forces).

D-8 SG, Dipo Alam with THY CEO, Temel Kotil

THY welcomes well the cooperation initiative by D-8 Organization. The flag carrier stated there are many fields that can be worked on through some cooperation potentials. For instance, in the regulation sector to support D-8 airlines business cooperation by avoiding stumbling blocks of problems and finding good solutions; special discounts/fares in appropriate arrangement if D-8 officials, delegates, exhibitors and traders, or D-8 migrant workers flying with THY; air cargo packages, and several others.

In addition to that, THY CEO Temel Kotil PhD, also offered to host 1st D-8 Airlines Business Forum in September 2009 in Istanbul, Turkey. This is related to the implementation one of the function of D-8 Civil Aviation Task Forces that led by Turkey.

The meeting was part of realization of D-8’s plan on working on “down-to-earth” programs, which seek to speed things up to implement cooperation programs, to keep pace with a lot of new regulations, rapid changes of technologies, competition in business opportunities in civil aviation sector. “So we don’t want all the result to be merely reports on papers, instead it has to turn ninto programs that are visible and viable to be poured into practice,” said Alam while underlining that programs should be performed properly for the benefits of member states that representing progressive developing countries.

In the succesfully held Third D-8 Working Group on Civil Aviation and Director Generals’ Meeting in Bali, Indonesia, on 17-18 June 2008, D-8 Organization agreed on a number of recommendations such as to activate the Task Forces as a follow up of  the Article 5 of the ToR of D-8 Working Group on Civil Aviation on the following areas; (1) Task Force on Safety and Security; (2) Task Force on Rulemaking Activities and Legal Issues; (3) Task Force on Commercial Issues (Maintenance, Airport and terminal infrastructure, ground handling, leasing, and other issues).

Also was recommended, to urge Member Countries that have competitive advantage in civil aviation activities to share their experiences and best practices with other member countries in needs through capacity building programmes, besides also encouraging the active participation of private sectors from other D-8 countries in the international civil aviation activities in line with their national interest. As the first move, the private sectors of Indonesia and Turkey had met and agreed to initiate cooperation in the areas of airport infrastructure and operations. This activity is open for other member countries.

Finally, the meeting also urged member countries that have not signed the “Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Establishment of D-8 Member Countries’ Working Group for Cooperation in Civil Aviation” to do so in order to expedite the implementation of the said MoU.

“We shall use all our possible chances to show that an international organization such as ours can be successful and flourishing in implementing its programs on the paper,” Alam noted referring to the down-to-earth programs initiated by D-8.

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