Istanbul: Turkish Airlines on September 18, resumed its services to Delhi after a nine-year gap, with a flight carrying 250 passengers including 170 invitees on board.

The regular operation of the flight will begin from September 29, with flights from Istanbul on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays to India, an official in the state-owned Turkish carrier said.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, currently on a visit to Turkey, had announced the resumption of the Istanbul-Delhi flight on September 17.

The invitees would stay in India for three days, the official said.

The Turkish carrier has appointed leading aviation management firm InterGlobe Air Transport to represent it in India, the airline's Regional Director for Far East, Middle East and Africa, Levent Selvili said.

"We undertook a comprehensive assessment process before deciding to start operations to India and are confident that travel in and out of India will only increase over the coming years."

Turkish Airlines, with hubs at Istanbul and Ankara, offers flights to 103 destinations, including 77 foreign ones, with a modern fleet of 77 aircraft.