Turkish Airlines, Amex GBT sign deal

Turkish Airlines on Monday signed a "significant" global agreement with American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), one of the world's leading agencies for corporate travel.

İlker Aycı, Turkish Airlines chairman of the board and the executive committee, and Amex GBT Board Chairman Greg O'Hara signed the deal, according to a statement from national flag carrier.

Turkish Airlines is "very pleased to enter such an important business partnership with Amex GBT. With this new agreement, which existed on a regional scale and now expanded to global, we aim to increase our market share also in the corporate travel segment and to be the most preferred airline for all business travellers worldwide," Aycı said in a statement.

According to the statement, Turkish Airlines expanded its existing collaboration with AMEX to a global partnership, which was on regional scale between 2014 and 2017.

Within the framework of the agreement, Turkish Airlines -- which has added the South America region to the new joint service area with Amex GBT-- will also become one of the airlines supported by Amex GBT at the top level.

According to the statement, Amex GBT, which aims to make business travel much easier, productive and less stressful, both in terms of suppliers and travelers, serves nearly 140 countries around the world, with 12,000 employees and 8,000 customers.