Mehmet Gürkaynak Is the New Fly Emirates Manager for Bulgaria

Emirates has hired Mehmet Gürkaynak as a director of the fly company for Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria. Starting 1^st of June he is replacing Ahmet Birinci who is retiring after he has been in the role since 1993, the fly company has announced.

Mehmet Gürkaynak joined Turkish Airlines in 2011 and worked as a demand and flight analyst for three years before assuming the role of General Manager of Turkish Airlines in Algeria. Moving from his most recent position as General Manager Germany for Turkish Airlines and as an aviation professional with over 11 years of experience in revenue management, sales and marketing, Gürkainak will cultivate his experience and strong professional network to drive Emirates' commercial initiatives in the local market and achieve its business goals.

As part of his role as new Country Manager, Mehmet Gürkainak will also represent Emirates in Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria, working closely with local partners, airports and other representatives of the aviation industry to further develop the local tourism sector. In addition to identifying opportunities to create new partnerships that will allow the airline to continue to contribute to the local economy, provide world-class air connectivity for both passengers and cargo and expand its customer base.

A graduate of Istanbul University's Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Gürkaynak holds a master's degree in financial management from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, United States.

After leading Emirates' operations in Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria for 30 years, Bahar Birin helped establish Emirates' position as one of the world's leading airlines in the market and was able to build strategic partnerships that allowed it to expand its presence across the three decades. Bahar Birinci has also made valuable contributions to the local tourism sector and bilateral relations between the UAE and Turkey.

Until last year, Mehmet Gurkainak was the representative of Turkish Airlines in Bulgaria. He worked very well with the tourism business in our country and is well liked by him.