Direct flights from Muscat to Antalya to begin next month

Muscat: Starting 29 April, passengers will be able to fly directly from Muscat to Antalya, a region on Turkey’s southern coastline famed for its clear, blue waters and pristine sandy beaches.

Turkish Airlines will operate two flights a week on Fridays and Sundays, departing from Muscat at 7:25am and arriving in Antalya at 11:25am. The return journey will begin 55 minutes past midnight and end at 6:25am in Muscat. The schedule will run until 28 October.

The announcement regarding Turkey’s flag carrier operations were made at an event in Muscat on Sunday, 27 March.

During the event, Turkish Airlines hosted a B2B workshop and gala dinner yesterday with its trade partners. The B2B workshop enabled travel agencies from Muscat to get in touch with hotels and travel agencies from Turkey who came to Oman for the event.

Present at the event were Sami Aydogan, general manager of Turkish Airlines operations in Oman and Orhan Ayrac, interim charge d’affaires at the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Muscat. A presentation was made during the event by Yasin Battal, sales manager (Oman) for Turkish Airlines.

Three lucky winners were awarded free tickets to fly to Antalya during a raffle draw.

A plethora of locations are available for passengers to Antalya. Among them is Tazi Canyon, set in the Koprulu Canyon National Park. Tazı Canyon has become rather popular in Antalya, especially for rock climbing, rafting, trekking, and camping. Do note that if you plan to camp, this is an area better suited for more experienced campers.

Kekova, a small, uninhabited island in the Demre district of Antalya, is just 4.5 square kilometers. Despite its tiny size, the island features historical ruins and a sunken city. Visitors are permitted to swim and dive only in certain locales around this fascinating island, which was declared a protected area in 1990. On Kekova, visitors will find churches and chapels, towers and ancient harbours from the Hellenistic period, as well as ruins from the Roman and Byzantine eras. Guided tours are also available.

Çığlıkara Forest is one of the most beautiful cedar forests not only in Türkiye, but also in the world. The suppleness, durability and scent of cedar wood are renowned, and are the most well-known characteristic of the Lebanon Cedars found in the Çığlıkara Forest. This wood was supposedly used by Antalya’s shipbuilders to craft the ancient world’s most beautiful and fastest ships.