Turkish Airlines has long styled itself as more than just a flag carrier. As the company approaches its 100th anniversary in 2033, it is doubling down on a strategy that prioritizes cultural diplomacy as much as cash flow.
The airline, 49% owned by Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund, has made no secret of its global ambitions. It already flies to more countries than any other airline, but it isn’t stopping there. “We aim to reach a fleet of over 810 aircraft by 2033,” Chairman Ahmet Bolat told Skift. If realized, this would build upon the 480 planes the company operates today.
A massive order of up to 350 aircraft from Airbus, announced in December 2023, is one of the centerpieces of this expansion.
Yet Bolat’s broader message isn’t growth for growth’s sake. Despite its lofty 2033 goals, the airline is actually dialing down its growth trajectory.
“We are not going to grow as we did before. In the past, we grew around 13% [annually]. Now our growth rate is reduced to 7-8%. So it will not be 10 [new] cities per year. In the next decade, we’re looking at maybe around 30 or 35 new cities in total.”
Bolat said expansion will also be fueled by enhanced frequencies to existing destinations to make transit times even more efficient. Its Istanbul hub — opened in 2018 and designed to eventually serve 200 million passengers annually — is key to the airline’s vision.
He highlighted Asia as a particular focus, with a second bank of daily departures under development.
Last year, Turkey and China signed a new deal that more than doubles the number of flights allowed between the countries. With the agreement, scheduled passenger flights jump from 21 to 49 per week, plus Turkish Airlines secures rights to operate flights to three additional Chinese cities: Chengdu, Urumqi, and Xi’an.
While China’s 49 flights are spread across its major carriers including Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern, as Turkey’s only major long-haul operator, Turkish Airlines can enjoy the increase for itself.
Culture as a Catalyst
Bolat is bullish on what he terms “cultural tourism” – part diplomatic mission, part economic bet on high-spending travelers – and there’s a hit-list already lined up.
“We are specifically interested in 11 markets. Some of them are in Asia: Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Korea, and others are in the West: Canada, Mexico, and the United States,” he said.
The ultimate goal is to bring 15 million visitors to Turkey on cultural tourism trips. These well-heeled travelers won’t just be passengers for the national airline but also boost the Turkish economy through spending on the ground.
Bolat also mentioned France, Spain, and Italy as focus markets for what he describes as “cultural tourism exchanges.”
It forms part of a broader trend, widely adopted by Turkish Airlines’ global rivals, to encourage passengers to spend time in the destination during their transit.
It’s a 10-hour flight from Istanbul to New York – but distance hasn’t hindered the airline’s expansion in the United States. The company serves 14 destinations across the U.S., most with daily or double daily frequencies.
“We didn’t see much softness like the others faced,” Bolat said when asked about a possible slowdown in demand. “The U.S. is still our largest market. Last year 1.7 million Americans came to Turkey. Not all on aircraft, some were on cruises and so on, but our goal is to raise this to 5 million.”
Fleet in Focus
The Turkish Airlines group spans more than a dozen subsidiaries, including maintenance, cabin interiors, cargo, and catering businesses. Despite its pride in doing as much in-house work as possible, some areas remain outside its control.
“The main issue is delays from the manufacturers. Day by day they are informing us of new delays,” said Bolat.
To mitigate some of the disruption, the airline has been active in securing leased aircraft. Just last week, it confirmed 14 A321neo planes are bound for its low-cost carrier A-Jet.
Bolat said the company will continue to work with lessors to bridge the gap amid delivery delays. With post-pandemic pilot shortages easing, he also confirmed that regional jets remain under consideration, with around 30 aircraft in the pipeline.
But what about the inside of the plane? Speaking to Skift last year, Bolat ruled out the introduction of a premium economy cabin. Carriers including Emirates, Korean Air, Finnair, and KLM have all installed this mid-tier option in recent years.
The airline has also resisted the temptation to join its international peers in reintroducing first class – with Qatar Airways and Etihad among those doubling down on the concept. This leaves Turkish with a two-class configuration across its global fleet. Operationally simple yes, but is this a missed opportunity?
Focused on the two-class strategy, Bolat reported the best business class load factor – an aircraft’s average occupancy – in the airline’s history. “I can tell you it is above 60 and close to 70%.”
For context, business class load factors at Turkish Airlines have increased almost 10 percentage points from the pre-pandemic levels. This matters because premium travelers typically bring in three or four times the revenue as an economy passenger.
Central to this premium ramp-up is a new business class seat called the Crystal Suite. Asked for a progress update on the project, Bolat said it should be in the air next year.
The carrier’s Airbus A350s will be the first to be equipped with the next-generation offering, with late 2026 the current target. The goal is to have Crystal across all widebody aircraft within three years. This will mean the end of the unpopular 2-3-2 configuration to a more spacious 1-2-1 layout.
Narrowbody jets are also getting an upgrade. New “Royalux” seats, designed by subsidiary Turkish Cabin Industries, should boost comfort for business class travelers on single-aisle jets. “We’re committed to quality at every level,” said Bolat.
The carrier is betting that influence and revenue can, and will, rise together.
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