ISTANBUL

Turkey’s flagship carrier, Turkish Airlines, has said it will start to operate flights to Bogota, Colombia and Panama's Panama City beginning May 4.

With the inclusion of these two new destinations, Turkish Airlines will now be servicing 14 American destinations, rising to 15 with the launch of an Atlanta route soon after, the company said in a statement on Friday.

The Istanbul departures will run three times per week.

Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines is a four-star airline with a fleet of 289 (passenger and cargo) aircraft flying to 277 destinations worldwide -- 229 international and 48 domestic.