Turkish Airlines, one of the world’s oldest carriers, turns 91 years old in 2024. We took a look at the history of the airline’s fleet and network.
The foundation
Turkish Airlines (TK/THY) began operations as Türkiye Devlet Hava Yolları (TDHY) on May 20, 1933 with just 5 aircraft. The initial fleet comprised two Curtiss Kingbirds, two Junkers F 13s and one Tupolev ANT-9. The airline’s modest fleet was reflective of Turkey’s limited aviation infrastructure in the 1930s. The airline was led by famous Turkish aviator Mehmet Fesa Evrensev, the first Turkish Ottoman aviator who served as CEO of the fledgling company.
In 1947 the carrier conducted its first overseas flight from Istanbul to Athens, expanding to destinations including Nicosia, Beirut and Cairo and gaining an additional 28 aircraft by 1951. In 1955 the company gained the name Turkish Airlines, and was registered with the recently founded IATA (International Air Transport Association). The carrier was the largest airline in the region around this time, with a large number of Douglas DC-3 aircraft purchased as far back as 1945 providing the backbone of the fleet.
Early modernization
The airline established a hub for international flights at Istanbul Yeşilköy Airport, opened in 1953. The airport would go on to be renamed Attatürk Airport (ISL/LTBA) in the 1980s and served as Istanbul’s main airport until commercial flights were transferred to the new Istanbul Havalimanı Airport (IST/LFTM) in 2019.
The first notable fleet modernisation came in 1958 in the form of 5 British-build Vickers Viscount 794 turboprop aircraft, a step change from the aging and issue-prone DC-3s and C47s. Whilst six Fokker F27 Friendships joined the fleet in 1960, some of the DC-3 aircraft only left service as late as 1967.
Joining the jet age
Turkish Airlines began their search for a jet in 1965, initially scoping out various European and American-built types including the BAC One-Eleven, Hawker Siddeley Trident, McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and Sud Aviation Caravelle. The DC-9 was the winner, joining the fleet in 1966. The DC9 fleet ramped up throughout the 1960s, and was joined by the Boeing 707 in 1971. The airline’s Viscount turboprops were removed the same year.
The early seventies also saw Turkish become an all-jet operator as Fokker 27 Friendships were replaced with Fokker 28 Fellowships between 1972-1973. The airline also began pursuing its first widebody jets, with an order for three Mcdonnel Douglas DC-10 being placed around this time. By the early 1980s the fleet consisted of 3 Dash 7, 5 Boeing 707, 2 Fokker F28 Fellowship, 9 Douglas DC-9, 9 Boeing 727, and 2 Douglas DC-10 aircraft. This diverse fleet enabled expansion of the route network to include destinations in China and the United States. A Turkish Airlines DC-10 operating flight 981 from Istanbul Yeşilköy Airport to London Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) via Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG/LFPG) was involved in a deadly decompression-related crash caused by a failed cargo door. All passengers and crew were lost in the event. This incident formed part of a series of accidents on DC-10 aircraft related to cargo door failures.
1980s and 1990s.
The operator struggled to achieve high load factors during the 1980s. The DC-10 had a relatively short reign at Turkish Airlines, and by the late 1980’s the airline was considering replacing it with the new Airbus A340 or McDonnell Douglas MD-11. Simultaneously, Turkish were considering their options for a narrowbody, deciding between the Boeing 737 Classic and Airbus A320. In the end the winners were the Airbus A340 and Boeing 737. The first A340-300 was delivered to the airline in 1993 and allowed the airline to open up new destinations in East Asia, most notably Tokyo Haneda (HND/RJTT).
Having identified an opportunity to operate at more short runway airports in Southeast Anatolia, Turkish further invested in the British-made four-engined Avro RJ100 jet in 1993. In November 1998, the airline added six Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The airline also closed the decade with its introduction of a website and e-tickets.
The new millennium
The 21st century marked a new beginning for Turkish Airlines. Under the leadership of CEO Temel Kotil, the airline implemented a comprehensive transformation plan. The modernization of its fleet played a pivotal role in its resurgence. The early 2000s saw a selection of the airlines’ A310 and 727 aircraft placed up for sale, as well as the deployment of 11 more Boeing 737-800 aircraft. A major shift in fleet balance came in 2004 when the airline placed an order for 36 widebody and narrowbody Airbus aircraft (5 Airbus A330, 19 Airbus A320 and 12 Airbus A321 aircraft). By 2008, the carrier had introduced the Boeing 777, a mainstay of Turkish Airlines’ passenger and cargo fleet to this day.
A commitment to new generation aircraft
In the past decade, Turkish has made several significant orders for new generation aircraft in a drive for greater fleet efficiency. In 2013 the airline placed an order for 117 aircraft, the largest order ever for a Turkish airline, ordering 25 Airbus A321-200, four Airbus A320neo and 53 Airbus A321neo aircraft as well as an option for 35 further A321neos. Turkish Airlines followed this up with a significant Boeing order the following month, comprising up to 70 Boeing 737-800, MAX 8 and MAX 9 aircraft. Turkish Airlines’ passenger numbers took a hit following the 2016 coup d’état attempt, causing it to temporarily ground 30 aircraft. That said, passenger numbers recovered over the following 4 years and the airline continued to perform well until the Coronavirus shutdown in 2020.
Turkish Airlines has flourished since the pandemic, securing one of the most extensive route networks in the world and winning the Skytrax Award for Best European Airline in 2023.
The Turkish Airlines fleet today
| Aircraft type | Number in fleet |
|---|---|
| Airbus A321neo | 52 |
| Airbus A319 | 6 |
| Airbus A320 | 14 |
| Airbus A321 | 67 |
| Airbus A330-200 | 22 |
| Airbus A330-300 | 37 |
| Airbus A350-900 | 24 |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 20 |
| Boeing 737 MAX 9 | 5 |
| Boeing 737-800 | 40 |
| Boeing 737-900 | 15 |
| Boeing 777-200F | 8 |
| Boeing 777-300 | 34 |
| Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | 23 |
Cover photo: Teun Sans, JetPhotos.
![An example full flight summary response from the Flightradar24 API: { "data": [ { "fr24_id": "0987654321", "flight": "SK1415", "callsign": "SAS1415", "operated_as": "SAS", "painted_as": "SAS", "type": "A20N", "reg": "SE-DOY", "orig_icao": "ESSA", "orig_iata": "ARN", "datetime_takeoff": "2023-01-27T05:15:22", "runway_takeoff": "12R", "dest_icao": "EKCH", "dest_iata": "CPH", "dest_icao_actual": "EPWA", "dest_iata_actual": "WAW", "datetime_landed": "2023-01-27T06:15:10", "runway_landed": "27L", "flight_time": 3600, "actual_distance": 1007.74, "circle_distance": 6245, "category": "Passenger", "hex": "4A91F9", "first_seen": "2023-01-27T05:06:22", "last_seen": "2023-01-27T06:18:10", "flight_ended": "true" } ] }](https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Flight-summary-API-cover-300x148.jpg)
![An example full flight summary response from the Flightradar24 API: { "data": [ { "fr24_id": "0987654321", "flight": "SK1415", "callsign": "SAS1415", "operated_as": "SAS", "painted_as": "SAS", "type": "A20N", "reg": "SE-DOY", "orig_icao": "ESSA", "orig_iata": "ARN", "datetime_takeoff": "2023-01-27T05:15:22", "runway_takeoff": "12R", "dest_icao": "EKCH", "dest_iata": "CPH", "dest_icao_actual": "EPWA", "dest_iata_actual": "WAW", "datetime_landed": "2023-01-27T06:15:10", "runway_landed": "27L", "flight_time": 3600, "actual_distance": 1007.74, "circle_distance": 6245, "category": "Passenger", "hex": "4A91F9", "first_seen": "2023-01-27T05:06:22", "last_seen": "2023-01-27T06:18:10", "flight_ended": "true" } ] }](https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Flight-summary-API-cover-768x378.jpg)
