27 June 2018•Update: 28 June 2018
By Gokhan Ergocun
ANKARA
Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines on Wednesday introduced a new wireless entertainment system.
The carrier has become the first company that provides the wireless in-flight entertainment system, according to a press release issued by its media relations office.
The system was developed by Turkish engineers in cooperation with the airline, and defense systems and command and control firm Havelsan, it stressed.
It noted: "Passengers will be able to connect to this in-flight entertainment system, that will be initially applied on the airline's 44 narrow-body aircraft, which have no seatback screen, via their personal electronic devices."
"Putting it into practice will increase the proportion of Turkish Airlines fleet including in-flight entertainment system to 95 percent," it added.
Havelsan and Turkish Airlines have signed an agreement to develop integrated in-flight connectivity and entertainment solutions.
The press release said the system will enable passengers to connect Wi-Fi network and display media content -- 250 films, 700 TV shows, 2,000 music album and 19,000 songs.
Passengers will have to install on their smartphones or devices an application named "Wi-Fi Entertainment" before the flights, it said.
Turkish Airlines, founded in 1933 with a fleet of five aircraft, currently has nearly 330 aircraft, including passenger and cargo planes. Last year it carried 68.6 million passengers with a 79.1 percent seat occupancy rate.
The airline was named Best Airline in Europe by Skytrax for six years in a row between 2011 and 2016, and chosen the Best Airline in Southern Europe for the ninth consecutive time in 2017.
