Temel Kotil, the CEO of Turkish Airlines (THY) was honored as the "CEO of the Year" at the "2014 Airline Strategy Awards" held in the U.K. capital, London.

Speaking at the award ceremony held at the historical Middle Temple Hall, Kotil said he accepted the award on behalf of 40,000 THY employees and added, "We are planning on carrying 60 million passengers. In the last 10 years, we transported 350 million passengers. I thank you on behalf of all of them. They are my bosses, I work for them, that is why THY is a success."

He further noted that in the future, the European economy will blend with the Asian economy and Turkey will stand at its center. In 2023, with the third airport that has a 150 million passenger capacity and THY with a 120 million passenger capacity, Turkey will become one of the leaders of the world's economy, added Kotil.

The "CEO of the Year" award is granted to executives who have proved their success in strategic thinking, team leadership and corporate vision.