Turkish Airlines increases passenger capacity thanks to its wide flight network

By News Centre

Despite global geopolitical tensions and macroeconomic uncertainties, Turkish Airlines (THY) carried 83.4 million passengers last year, a record, thanks to its wide flight network and the highly qualified workforce it maintained during the COVID-19 period.

According to the information given at the meeting regarding THY's financial results, the company's domestic passenger capacity increased by 23.5 percent last year compared to 2022, while the number of passengers increased by 19 percent, reaching over 30 million.

While the capacity increase in international lines approached 16 percent, the number of passengers increased by 14 percent, reaching 53 million. The increase in the number of passengers abroad, especially in European countries where Turkish citizens live densely, exceeded 20 percent.

According to the data published by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), while global international passenger capacity last year remained 12 percent behind the pre-COVID-19 period in 2019, THY continued to be one of the leading airlines in the sector, exceeding that year by 27 percent. As a result of Turkiye's investments in aviation infrastructure, Istanbul Airport has become the airport offering the most flights in Europe.

Providing air cargo services at 364 points in 133 countries with 24 cargo planes and 416 passenger planes, THY increased the amount of paid cargo it carried last year by 16 percent compared to 2019. Turkish Cargo, which has more than tripled its market share in cargo transportation in the last 10 years, continued its success as the world's 4th largest air cargo carrier in 2023, according to IATA data.

THY, which aims to have a fleet exceeding 800 aircraft in 2033 within the framework of its 100th Anniversary Strategy, added 46 aircraft to its fleet last year, despite the supply problems in the global aviation industry and the bottleneck in production, and increased the number of aircraft to 440 with a 12 percent increase.

THY continued to create an important source of value for the Turkish economy with its total assets exceeding 1 trillion lira ($35.7 billion), the $16.3 billion export revenue it brought to Turkiye last year, and the foreign exchange contribution of $8.1 billion.

Turkiye's national flag carrier has continued its support since the first day of the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmara?, one of the biggest disasters in the country's history. Passenger and cargo flights were provided free of charge, especially for the evacuation of citizens, as well as for the delivery of domestic and international search and rescue teams and aid materials to the region.

In addition to the 2 billion lira donation it made to be used for the needs in the region, the company also presented the payment required for 1000 houses to be donated to those in need of AFAD during the year.

With its strong 2023 results, THY demonstrated its determination to achieve its 2033 vision, which will create high value for all its stakeholders. Aiming to exceed 50 billion dollars in revenue and 170 million passengers in its 100th year, THY's efforts in the fields of excellence in passenger experience, digitalization, and sustainability were appreciated by the leading institutions of the sector.

In this context, THY was awarded the "5-star global airline" award by APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association) for the 3rd time in 2023, the "Best Airline in Europe" award by Skytrax for the 8th time, and the second time by World Finance. It was chosen as the "Most Sustainable Flag Carrier Airline".

THY, which employs more than 83 thousand people together with its subsidiaries today, is among the giants of air transportation as a brand that leads the sector with its "unique" flight network, modern fleet, superior service approach and successful performance in 2023. In the coming years, THY will continue to increase its contribution to the sustainable growth of the sector in line with Turkey's development goals and 2033 strategy.