This clears the way for it to begin the integration process that will subsequently see it become the alliance's 21st member.

The integration teams at Star Alliance and Turkish Airlines will now begin the process, which should be completed within 16 months.

With its fleet of 101 aircraft and network covering destinations in the US, Europe, Asia and Africa, Turkish Airlines will allow Star Alliance to offer customers more than 17,500 daily flights serving 927 airports in 162 countries.

Turkish Airlines' home base, Istanbul, will in the future become Star Alliance's foremost hub at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and act as a gateway to various new destinations in Turkey and new connections to Central Asia and the Middle East.

"With Turkish Airlines joining the Star Alliance, we can offer our customers a wider choice of flight options while at the same time expanding our network reach to areas previously not served. The Star Alliance will be in a unique position to offer flight connections through what has historically been the gateway to both Asia and Europe," said Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht.

For Turkish Airlines, membership will allow the carrier to expand its services in terms of network coverage, frequent-flyer benefits, lounges and alliance fares.

At the same time, it will participate in all Star Alliance initiatives aimed at reducing costs, while improving customer service through such things as collocation at airports, joint lounges, electronic ticketing and joint media purchasing. Turkish Airlines chairman Candan Karlitekin said becoming a Star Alliance member was one of the most important steps in the company's 73-year history.

He said the airline's goal was to become more effective in the global market with its vision, experience and service quality.

"Our goal is to become a global brand in the world aviation sector. We believe that we have an important place in the international competition. We are successfully earning a position to compete with the world's giants. For this reason, being a member of the Star Alliance is a historic milestone for Turkish Airlines. We will add new aircraft to our current fleet of 101. In 2007, we will be the most important brand to represent Turkey in the world," he said.

He pointed out that Istanbul, which has been the gateway between Asia and Europe for centuries, would now also be the Bosporus Bridge of global aviation, referring to the bridge that spans the Bosporus Strait in Turkey.

Turkish Airlines CEO Temel Kotil said the company had enjoyed much bigger growth than most of the aviation sector recently.

It is the 27th airline in the world in terms of fleet size and enjoyed the greatest growth in Europe during the first nine months of the year, increasing its global market share from 0.59 per cent to 1.1 per cent this year.

"Turkish Airlines will bring additional value to both the company and its customers by its membership in the Star Alliance. As a member of the alliance, we will provide many opportunities and advantages to our passengers, such as a wider flight network, special passenger programmes, worldwide utilisation of lounges and participating in the alliance's fares", Kotil said.

Suchart Sritama

The Nation

ISTANBUL