Mehmet Gürkaynak has been appointed as Emirates' Regional Manager for Türkiye, Romania and Bulgaria. Gürkaynak, who will start his new position as of June 1, 2023, will take the place of Bahar Ahmetİlk, who retired from his position since 1993.
Mehmet Gürkaynak joined Turkish Airlines in 2011 and after working as a Demand & Flight Analyst for his first three years, he assumed the position of General Manager of Turkish Airlines in Constantine, Algeria. In the following years, he continued to serve as the Bulgarian General Manager of Turkish Airlines, and most recently as the German General Manager of Turkish Airlines; Gürkaynak, an aviation professional with over 11 years of experience in revenue management, sales and marketing, will mobilize his expertise and strong professional network to advance Emirates' commercial ventures in the local market and achieve its sectoral goals.
Mehmet Gürkaynak, who will represent the Emirates brand in Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria under his new role, will work closely with local partners, airports and other actors in the aviation industry to continue to develop the local travel and tourism sector of each market. It will also identify new partnership opportunities that will enable the airline to continue contributing to the local economy, providing world-class air connectivity for passengers and cargo services, and expanding its customer base.
Gürkaynak graduated from Istanbul University Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department and holds an MBA degree in Financial Management from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, USA.
Having led Emirates' operations in Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria for 30 years, Bahar Ahmet Erken has helped make Emirates one of the leading global airlines in the market and has managed to forge strategic partnerships that have allowed the brand to grow its presence in the region over the course of three decades. Bahar Ahmet Lider also made valuable contributions to the local travel industry in the countries under his responsibility and to the bilateral relations between the UAE and Turkey.