We Discussed Corendon Airlines' Future Plans and Innovative Applications with Yıldıray Karaer

Corendon Airlines, put its signature under many exemplary practices and firsts in the aviation sector, which it has entered with the slogan "Make a Difference" since the first day of its establishment, makes its first flight from Eindhoven to Sabiha Gökçen on April 12, 2005, and is known for being the first company to land a passenger plane in this square. We interviewed Yıldıray Karaer, Chairperson of Corendon Airlines, about the company's establishment and success story, the aviation industry in 2021 and their plans for the next period. Pleasant reading.

HIS Travel: You have a life story to say, 'If I write, it will be a novel.' You have actually applied the concepts such as persevering, not giving up, working, overcoming, being able to continue regardless throughout your life. Can we say that these concepts take an important place in the development of today's Yıldıray Karaer? What kind of road map have you had all your life?

Yıldıray Karaer: I completed my university education at Istanbul Technical University, Department of Mining Engineering. After that, I received a master's degree in Business Administration and Production Management from Istanbul University. Then I went abroad to develop my language. I stayed in England by my own means for about 2.5 years. Besides language education, I continued certification programs on marketing. After education, I started my first professional business life in the Eczacıbaşı Group and worked in companies in different sectors.

But the tourism industry has always been one of my dreams. For this reason, I started working in tourism companies abroad soon after university. And then I realized my biggest dream and established my own company. Our company's name comes from "Corundum Mineral". Almost as hard as a diamond (hardness rating 9) and a durable mineral. It symbolizes our company's durability to even the most difficult moments and is an easy-to-say, memorable brand in a global sense.

Concepts such as persevering, not giving up, working, overcoming, being able to continue regardless that you stated, are essential features in the tourism sector. In addition, it is very important to think differently and be creative. Because I have a career as an athlete, I prefer to go forward even in the most difficult situations and take advantage of the opportunities that come my way. We have weathered all the storms we have faced since the 2000s, and during these crises we have grown by diversifying our businesses. Our road map has always been to look forward, never stop growing.

"In the next period, we plan to carry out very large projects to contribute more to both the growth of our company and the promotion of our country."

HIS Travel: You have moved from a different sector to tourism. Can you explain a little bit about this transition process? What does tourism mean for you before, now and after?

Yıldıray Karaer: Tourism was on my radar from an early age. I believed there was great potential and opportunities for me in this area. I've also been analyzing various opportunities to enter this sector. Moreover, I wanted to start from the hardest part. When I came across the position of representative of our Turkish-flagged airline in Germany, I stepped into the sector in Frankfurt, one of the most important centers of European tourism. I moved to the Netherlands to consolidate my experience in both the aviation and tourism sector 1,5-2 years later.

After a while, I decided to realize my own ideas and projects with my own company and invest in different areas. Shortly after our paths crossed with my current partner Atılay Uslu, we laid the foundations of Corendon between 1997 and 2000. Our first business model was based on preparing package tours from the Netherlands to Turkey and selling them through direct sales channels, call center, teletext, door to door sales techniques, as well as newspaper and magazine advertisements. We have achieved a great success in this regard in a short time and immediately stepped into the Belgian market. We have seen how important the operation is in tourism when we specialize in tour operator. We had learned to market our products and our brand. We were getting very high sales. But we couldn't control customer satisfaction in the operation. For this reason, we also started to invest in other service sectors under our roof brand Corendon. At the point we have reached in time, Corendon Tourism Group includes companies that address very different areas, including the organization of an incoming agency, aviation and hospitality, as well as tour operators. We also continue to invest in new sectors and increase our brand diversity.

This became my life after I entered the tourism industry and it still continues to be so. In the next period, we plan to carry out very large projects to contribute more to both the growth of our company and the promotion of our country. I believe that we have the necessary preparation, experience and courage for this.

HIS Travel: Aviation and tourism are among the sectors that feel the effects of the pandemic the most. Are there any radical changes in aviation that you would expect? What differences will await your passengers during and after this period?

Yıldıray Karaer: As in any crisis period, the pandemic brought various challenges to companies, as well as new opportunities and areas in which they could develop themselves. As the Corendon family, we continue to analyze which areas we can take new steps in. We do not see this process as a hard time, we describe it as the turning point at the beginning of a whole new era.

We can say that we are entering a new era in both accommodation and aviation. Many new elements, especially digitalization, are becoming the main dynamics of our sector. And we will take our place in this new world in a qualified way. The sector has started to rebound, especially as vaccination has become more far-reaching. Our companies will continue to be one of the most important players in the sector in the new period.

"Even in times of the greatest crisis, we continued to communicate with Turkey, contribute to the development of tourism and increase our service diversity. For example, we have implemented many firsts such as bridge, tailor, shopping tourism."

HIS Travel: Could you tell the story of Corendon Airlines? What kind of an adventure it was; Could you tell us about the hardest moment you've ever had and a moment you're proud of?

Yıldıray Karaer: We have implemented the Corendon Airlines project in order to exist in the aviation sector, which is one of the most important legs of the tourism sector, and to introduce our country in this field. In a short time, we have achieved more success than we expected. We have been among the most favorite brands of both domestic and foreign tourists.

We have also broken many grounds in the sector. In this respect, we have deservedly started to be described as the “Airline of Firsts”. Even in times of the greatest crisis, we continued to communicate with Turkey, contribute to the development of tourism and increase our service diversity. For example, we have implemented many firsts such as bridge, tailor, shopping tourism. As Corendon Airlines, we are very happy with the position we have reached, but we do not find it satisfying for ourselves. Because there are many more successes that we can achieve.

As for the most difficult moment, of course, like all aviation companies, we can give an example of the period, when the Covid-19 pandemic began. We had to adapt to conditions we had not experienced before, but we came out of this period stronger.

Our proudest moment was when we positioned the jumbo jet Boeing 747-400 in the garden of Corendon Village Hotel Amsterdam, the largest hotel in the Benelux region (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg), and then we were in the news around the world as a Turkish company. We were very proud that our country's name was mentioned in such a first.

HIS Travel: Direct flights from Europe to Turkey, are shown as Adana, Ankara, Antalya, İzmir, Bodrum, Diyarbakır, Dalaman, Edremit, Eskişehir, Gazipaşa, Gaziantep, Kayseri, Konya, Ordu/Giresun, Samsun, Trabzon, Zonguldak. Will there be new flights and connections to new cities?

Yıldıray Karaer: As Corendon Airlines, we have been connecting Europe to Turkey since our establishment. We also expand our flight location diversity every year. Especially during the pandemic period, we increased the number of our flight points in Turkey. For example, the first Boeing 737-800 aircraft to land at Zonguldak Çaycuma Airport during this period was our Cologne – Zonguldak flight. Besides, in the past, the first passenger planes that landed at Sabiha Gökçen Airport and Alanya Gazipaşa Airport also belonged to Corendon Airlines.

In the coming period, we will continue to break grounds, increase our flight points and continue to provide qualified services to our guests.

HIS Travel: There are two subjects that we are interested in and that travel lovers are also interested in: What are your plans for summer tourism? And do you intend to organize scheduled flights domestically?

As a company that closely experiences the travel habits of European peoples, we can easily say that people miss traveling very much. In this sense, our country will also be one of the most preferred travel routes. All stakeholders in the sector have great hopes in this regard.

As Corendon Airlines, we care very much about the summer tourism season of 2021. Of course, the health of our guests and passengers will be our priority. We will do more than our part to ensure that they can travel safely. We will further improve our service quality, help our guests keep healthy, and bring them together with comfort and quality at the same time. In the new period, we will continue to connect Europe to Turkey.

"Hotel Corendon Mangrove Beach Resort, which we opened on Curaçao Island, one of the most important tourist points in the world, was one of the largest investments we have made recently."

HIS Travel: What goals are in Corendon Airlines' future? Will you have different goals or investments besides aviation?

Yıldıray Karaer: We can express our primary goals as developing our flight network and aircraft fleet and contributing more to the promotion of our country. Our long-term research and analysis in this area continues. We believe that we will be able to share the good news with the public very soon.

In areas other than aviation, our most important goal will be to maintain our development in the field of hospitality. We will take new steps both as a location and as a new facility. Hotel Corendon Mangrove Beach Resort, which we opened on Curaçao Island, one of the most important tourist points in the world, was one of the largest investments we have made recently. We are very pleased with the feedback we have received from both our guests and industry stakeholders. In addition, the interest to the Corendon Village Hotel Amsterdam, which I mentioned earlier, is also growing steadily. We will continue to grow the Corendon family with our new hotel investments.

Although it has hard times, it is obvious how critical tourism is in the development of countries. What advice do you give to those who want to develop themselves in the field of tourism and your young colleagues who want to become professional tourism professionals?

All employees, starting with the top-level manager working in the tourism sector, represent their country and the institution where they work. Especially people working in institutions that serves foreign tourists can contribute to their country as much as a national athlete.

For this reason, I can advise my young colleagues not only to adhere to professional competence but also to develop themselves in different areas, to know more than one foreign language will bring them great benefits, to set them concrete goals and to work hard as far as possible in line with these goals. Anyone who works in tourism should be as professional as elite athletes and even more hardworking than them.