Turkish Airlines

History

Turkish Airlines was established on 20 May 1933 as Turkish State Airlines, initially run as a department of the Ministry of National Defense with a handful of aircraft. It began international service in 1947 and was reorganized under its current corporate name, Türk Hava Yolları (THY), in 1956; it introduced its first jet aircraft in 1967 and joined Star Alliance in April 2008.

Current Operations

Turkish Airlines' main hub is Istanbul Airport, from which it operates one of the world's most extensive route networks, serving destinations in well over a hundred countries — a network breadth that has earned it a Guinness World Record for connecting the most countries of any airline. Its fleet spans well over 300 aircraft across multiple Airbus and Boeing types, and in September 2025 the airline ordered 50 additional Boeing 787 Dreamliners for delivery later in the decade. Turkish Airlines is roughly half state-linked, with the Turkey Wealth Fund holding a large minority stake and the remainder publicly traded.

Last verified 2026-08-22· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.

Serves These Profiled Airports104

Sample Routes8