Turkey’s national flag carrier is resuming free stopover services with plans to expand the project after a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, it announced on Wednesday.

Over 57,000 transfer passengers departing from 42 countries have so far gotten the opportunity to discover the city of Istanbul thanks to Turkish Airlines’ (THY) free stopover accommodation services launched in 2017, the carrier said in a statement.

Turkish Airlines plans to expand the scale of stopovers by adding 15 more countries – Kenya, Zambia, Mozambique, Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, Argentina, Brazil, Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Passengers departing from the countries covered in the project that have a stopover in Istanbul of more than 20 hours are eligible for the accommodation service.

They will also have the option of staying at contracted hotels with prices starting at $49.

"We aim to show Turkish hospitality and the unique wonders of Istanbul to our passengers opting for stopover accommodation services while contributing to tourism in Turkey," said CEO Bilal Ekşi, adding that they also sought to increase the number of transfer passengers that the airline carries.

Turkish Airlines, founded in 1933 with a fleet of five aircraft, currently has nearly 334, including passenger and cargo planes.

It flies to 329 destinations, including 279 international and 50 domestic destinations.