Mile high diplomacy? Turkish Airlines in growth push

WHEN KOREA'S Pyongchang was bidding for the 2018 Winter Olympics Games, Samsung swung its influence and marketing budgets behind the bid rapidly becoming one of the biggest sponsors in sport. Now Turkish Airlines has taken up the baton as Istanbul jostles for position in the 2020 Summer Olympics bid. The company has put sponsorship at the centre of an ambitious growth strategy to become “the largest network in the world,” says CEO Temel Kotil. “The purpose is very clear: like the Silk Road, we are linking everywhere to Istanbul.”