Turkish Airlines, one of the leading carriers in Europe, said its sales revenue for the first half increased by 36 per cent to hit 6.7 billion Turkish lira ($3.68 billion) compared to the same period last year.

Announcing the H1 results, the Turkish carrier said it had achieved stronger first and second quarter results, compared to the same periods of last year. Its net profit for the period surged 142 per cent to TRY164 million.

Despite the reported loss due to seasonal factors in the first quarter, Turkish Airlines posted a profit in the first half with the help of strong performance in the second quarter.

Turkish Airlines carried 18 million passengers during the period thus posting a 20 per cent growth over the previous year, said the statement from the airline.

The available seat per km (ASK) and revenue per km (RPK) went up by 19 per cent and 24 per cent, respectively, it added.

The Turkish carrier said the total number of its international destinations rose to 157 in the first half with an addition of 8 new destinations to its network.-TradeArabia News Service