How Has Turkish Airlines’ Fleet Developed In The Last 20 Years?

The flag carrier of Turkey, Turkish Airlines, is the largest airline in the world by number of destinations served. Established in 1933, the airline operates scheduled services to over 350 destinations in 126 countries, covering a significant percentage of the globe on its own.

Turkish Airlines operates over 425 aircraft, with 30% of its fleet comprising new-generation aircraft. At the end of last year, the airline was the eighth-largest in the world by revenue, having recorded $19.7 billion in revenues and $2.8 billion in profits.

The airline has been growing massively in the last two decades in terms of its fleet, destinations served, and available seat kilometers (ASK). This article explores Turkish Airlines’ fleet growth in the last 20 years and lists its existing narrowbody and widebody aircraft.

Turkish Airlines fleet growth

Just over twenty years ago, in 2002, Turkish Airlines operated a fleet of just 70 aircraft across its network. While the airline was not serving as many destinations back then, it saw very nominal growth in scheduled offerings.

Photo: EvrenKalinbacak | Shutterstock

In the following five years, Turkish Airlines grew its fleet by 40%, operating a total of 98 aircraft by 2007. The airline’s next five years were record-breaking when it expanded its network tremendously and began offering new destinations from its Istanbul International Airport (IST) hub.

Between 2007 and 2012, the hub also saw significant upgrades and expansions to accommodate the growing number of airliners. In 2012, Turkish Airlines operated a fleet of 202 aircraft, nearly a whopping 105% increase in just a few years. The airline continued to bring new planes into its fleet as it expanded its network further. Many older aircraft were replaced by new-generation models, particularly in the narrowbody category.

Five years later, by 2017, the airline was operating well over 300 aircraft, a 62% growth in that period. As you may have guessed, the trend only continues, with Turkish Airlines growing further, operating 350 aircraft in 2019 and 370 in 2021. In this four-year period, including the pandemic-related downturn, the airline’s fleet grew by over 15%. At the end of last year, the airline was just shy of 400 aircraft.

Photo: EvrenKalinbacak | Shutterstock

In these first nine months of 2023, the airline’s fleet has already grown an additional 8%, bringing the total to 429 aircraft as of September 14th. In total, Turkish Airlines saw a 5.6x growth over the last two decades, with a 9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

Turkish Airlines existing fleet

The flag carrier’s existing fleet comprises 429 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, of which 67% (289) are narrowbody, 27% (116) are widebody, and about 6% (24) are freighters. Its narrowbody fleet includes 100 Boeing 737-800/900, 35 Boeing 737 MAX 8/9, 96 Airbus A320 family (A319/320/A321), and 58 Airbus A320neo family (A320neo/A321neo).

Photo: EvrenKalinbacak | Shutterstock

Turkish Airlines’ widebody fleet comprises 20 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, 33 Boeing 777-300ERs, 14 Airbus A350-900s, and 49 Airbus A330-200/300s. Over 30% of the airline’s fleet (127 aircraft) comprises new-generation aircraft. The airline has an average fleet age of 9.2 years.

What are your thoughts on the Turkish Airlines fleet growth and its existing fleet? Tell us in the comments section.

Source: Turkish Airlines