Turkey's flagship carrier Turkish Airlines plans to launch 10 new destinations in 2011, including Los Angeles, USA and several cities in Vietnam, China, Iran, Spain, France and the Philippines.

"Los Angeles will be the longest destination for Turkish Airlines. It will take 14.5 hours and Boeing 777 airplanes will be used on this route," said Akif Konar, a senior Turkish Airlines executive, on Saturday.

"This year on December 26, we will start flights to Dhaka, Bangladesh and on December 29 to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. On January 30, we will make our first flight to Guangzhou, our third destination in China. Our flights to Shiraz, Turkish Airlines’ fourth destination in Iran, will begin on March 14. We will also fly to Valencia and Malaga in Spain, but dates for the start of these routes have yet to be set," said Konar.

Konar added, "Also, subject to approval from the civil aviation authorities, we plan to start flights to the Iraqi cities of Arbil and Basra."

The Istanbul-based carrier flies to 123 overseas destinations on all continents, except Australia and Antarctica. In the first 10 months of 2010, Turkish Airlines’ passenger numbers increased by 17.5 percent, while the average for European air carriers was only 1.6 percent.