► SOUTH SUDAN: Turkey's AtlasJet in Juba scouting for potential deals.

Murat Ersoy, the President of Atlasjet (KK), a Turkish airline based out of Florya, Istanbul, Turkey with both domestic and international scheduled passenger services, is the leader of a 25-member strong Turkish delegation currently visiting the South Sudanese capital of Juba, scouting for potential business opportunities.

At a short media briefing at Juba's International Airport yesterday, Ersoy said the group was inspired by the huge investment potential in the fledgling nation, adding that investing in the airline industry will commence once a cooperation agreement is reached between the two parties.

“We will look around South Sudan and make any decision on which other sectors could be worth investing in,” said the President of one of Turkish largest airlines.

Source [Sudan Tribune]

AtlasJet employees in Istanbul, Turkey

Should a deal of some sort be struck, it would fit nicely into Turkey's drive to boost integration with emerging African markets, with the Turkish Transportation Ministry's Civil Aviation General Directorate (SHGM), in particular, being instrumental in exploring opportunities to increase both passenger and cargo flights to the continent.

The visit by the Turkish contingent comes after Juba, in August, made it public that it was actively looking for an international partner to help set up and run a "reputable" national airline in which the South Sudanese Government would own a minority 20% stake, 31% would go to the local South Sudanese private sector with the remaining  49% being sold to international investors.