Flag carrier Turkish Airlines is celebrating the 93rd anniversary of its journey, which began on May 20, 1933, as a boutique airline operating with a fleet of just five aircraft.
Today, the flag carrier operates a fleet of 536 aircraft and flies to 358 destinations across 133 countries, making it the airline flying to the highest number of countries in the world and the world’s ninth-largest airline.
The carrier, which had a fleet of 65 aircraft in 2002, expanded rapidly in line with its goal of maintaining one of Europe’s youngest and most modern fleets. Its fleet size reached 100 aircraft in 2006, 200 in 2012, 300 in 2016, 456 in 2024 and 536 in 2026.
It aims to become one of the world’s top five airlines by the centennial of its founding in 2033, targeting a fleet of 813 aircraft.
Türkiye’s first international flight was operated in 1947 on the İstanbul-Athens route. In 1951, the airline began flying to new destinations, including Nicosia, Beirut and Cairo, with a fleet of 33 aircraft.
In 1956, the carrier became a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
By 1983, the 50th anniversary of its establishment, the airline was carrying 2.5 million passengers annually and had expanded its network beyond Europe, the Middle East and the Far East to include flights to the United States.
In 2012, Turkish Airlines’ flight network reached 200 destinations, earning it the title of the airline flying to the most countries in the world.
By 2014, the carrier was serving 264 destinations and had become the airline with the world’s fourth-largest flight network.
THY relocated its operations to İstanbul Airport following the opening of the new hub on Oct. 29, 2018.
