Turkish State Railways (TCDD) and Turkish Airlines (THY) signed a cooperation protocol to improve their service quality. Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications Deputy Minister Talat Aydın said in a speech that TCDD and THY are two of Turkey's deeply-rooted institutions and both are taking firm steps forward to achieve Turkey's 2023 aims. Saying that he hopes THY will become among the top 10 airlines in terms of passenger transport and fleet size by 2023, Aydın stressed, "TCDD became the eighth high-speed train establishment. It is not important to enter the top 10. What is important is to remain there. In this context, we will try to remain in the top 10 in terms of line length, service quality, passenger transportation and fleet size." Aydın said the railway sector was about to complete its liberalization process, and the private sector would participate in the railway industry within a short time. TCDD General Manager Ömer Yıldız said that TCDD and THY, which are the symbols of the modernization process and play important roles in Turkey's development, spread the seeds of a highly fruitful cooperation. In addition to indicating that both institutions will share their experiences according to the new protocol, Yıldız highlighted that they had a lot to learn from THY. Yıldız said Turkey will have 25,000 kilometers of railway lines by 2023, one third of which will be high-speed, and traveling from north to south and from east to west would take only one day - which is why the number of passengers will increase considerably. The services that will be provided as part of the protocol signed between the two institutions are as follows: THY will provide support for TCDD to develop its employee education system, joint ticket promotions will be offered via the ticket sale system of both institutions and there are many other services that passengers of both institutions will be able to mutually benefit from.