Interview: Turkish Airlines CEO Says His Airline Is Better and Different Than Gulf Carriers

Turkish Airlines CEO Temel Kotil has been at the helm of one of the world's fastest-growing carriers for a decade, but looking back isn't feasible when your hub is poised to become one of the world's busiest. Kotil joined Turkish Airlines in 2003 and became CEO two years later, and since then has helped usher in strategies propelling the carrier to become a formidable player on the global aviation stage. With its Istanbul hub positioned at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, anything except expansion and growth isn't an option. As Turkish Airlines looks to move into its new hub at Istanbul New Airport in 2018, it has plans to bring more comfort to the terminal experience for all passengers, not only business class travelers. And with an expected 120 million passengers a year flying through New Airport by 2020, implementing these new offerings and products won't be an easy task. Skift sat down with Kotil last week to talk about how the airline differentiates itself from its Gulf