Turkish Airlines history

In 1935, the airline was turned over to the Ministry of Public Works and was subsequently renamed General Directorate of State Airlines.

In 1945, the first Douglas DC-3 was added to the fleet, while the first international flight, Ankara-Istanbul-Athens, took place two years later.

Regional international flights started in 1947 (with the first services to Athens), but domestic flights remained the focus.

A new airport, Yeşilköy Airport - later to be renamed Atatürk Airport - opened in 1953.

On the 21st of May 1955, the title “General Directorate of the State Airlines Administration” has been changed by Law number 6623 to its current name: Turkish Airlines.

In 1956, the Turkish government reorganized the airline under the name Türk Hava Yolları A.O. (often abbreviated as THY). It was capitalized at TRY 60 million.

In 1957, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) began supplying technical support after acquiring a 6.5 percent shareholding, which it held for about 20 years.

It introduced five Vickers Viscount aircraft in 1958 - its first turboprops.

The first accident occurred in 1959, when a Vickers Viscount Type 793 crashed in heavy fog at London Gatwick Airport, just before landing, causing 14 fatalities of the 24 people on board.

In 1961, pilot captains Zihni Barın and Nurettin made another first in Turkish Airlines history by crossing the Atlantic Ocean on a F-27 aircraft on a 30-hour flight from the USA to Istanbul.

On 1967, the first international jet flight has been realized on the Ankara-Istanbul-Brussels line on the 1st of September.

Due to the devoted efforts and the dedication of our workers, our capital increased from 200 million in 1972 to 400 million, an astounding 100% increase.

In 1973, the first McDonnell Douglas DC-10 European aircraft was added to our fleet.

The most notorious was the 1974 crash of Turkish Airlines Flight 981, when an aircraft design flaw led to a faulty cargo door breaking off in flight near Ermenonville, France, resulting in the deaths of 346 people.

THY lost TRL 2 billion in 1980.

A new government came to power in 1983 which recognized THY's importance as Turkey's gateway to the world, beginning the airline's makeover into a modern operation.

THY built a new, state-of-the-art technical center at Yesilkoy Airport in 1984.

Airbus joined the fleet in 1985 with the A310.

In 1987, the capital was raised to 150 billion TL, one year after Singapore joined the network, and one year before New York (via Brussels) was added.

"Turkish Airlines Again Opt for Leasing," International Trade Finance , November 17, 1988.

On 1989, The Baggage Handling System (BAHAMAS) has begun to be implemented in order to provide rapid baggage services.

Private investors took 1.8 percent of shares in a small public offering in November 1990.

By the end of 1992, the company was capitalized at TRL 2.5 trillion.

The first A340 was delivered three years later, in 1993.

THY launched a nonstop to New York in July 1994.

The company's capital continued to be raised, reaching TRL 10 trillion in 1995.

The domestic market was deregulated in 1996, allowing new scheduled competition from charter airlines.

Situated at an ancient crossroads, the country had strong ethnic links with several former Soviet republics, although trade with Russia collapsed during that country's economic crisis in 1998.

Unfortunately, it posted a $167 million loss in 1999 in the face of terrorist threats and an earthquake.

A new terminal opened in January 2000 at Istanbul's Istanbul Atatürk Airport.

In 2001, as new routes and aircraft continued to join in, the Reservation Call Center (444 0 THY / 444 0 849) service was inaugurated.

"Turkish Airlines—A Success Story," Turkish Daily News , February 1, 2002.

Demir, Gul, "Turkish Airlines—Full of New Surprises," Turkish Daily News , November 6, 2003.

"Airbus, THY Deal for 36 Planes Worth $2.8 Bln," Turkish Daily News , October 23, 2004.

THY's financial statements should be read in light of a new currency created in January 2005.

On 2006, in the month of April, Turkish Airlines successfully passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Program, IATA’s operational benchmark, and became Turkey’s first “IOSA OPERATOR”. Telephone ticket sales were begun.

On 2007, Turkish Airlines was granted the “National Quality Award” in aviation.

In 2008, Turkish Airlines joined the global airline confederation, Star Alliance.

The last deadly accident involving Turkish Airlines took place on the 25th of February, 2009, when a Boeing 737-800 crashed near Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, killing 9 of the 135 people on board.

On 2010, Skytrax, a traveller website based in the UK, rated Turkish Airlines Europe’s best for 2010.

From 2011, for three years in a row, Turkish Airlines was ranked among the first ten in The World’s Top Airlines and the best airline in Europe.

In 2012, Turkish Airlines was the first European airline to resume flights to Somalia since the start of that country’s civil war.

By the end of 2013, Turkish Airlines had increased their number of flight points to 241 destinations worldwide (199 international and 42 domestic).

In 2014, Turkish Airlines presented the first aircraft equipped with new seats created and built by a partnership between Turkish Airlines, Turkish Seats Industries and Turkish Technic.

Turkish Airlines also announced an overall record loss of 1.9 billion Turkish Lira ($644.4 million) for the first half of 2016.

The following year saw the airline recover, with financial results for 2017 showing an almost 35% increase in turnover, and a return to profitability.

In 2018, Turkish Airlines continued to grow, transporting 75.2 million passengers, up 9.5% over the previous year, and expanding its network to become the fourth-largest flight network globally with the highest number of countries and international destinations worldwide.

In April 2019, Turkish Airlines relocated to its new hub, Istanbul Airport, which took Atatürk Airport’s IST code.

In February 2020, Turkish Airlines added its 319th destination to its flight network, the capital of Equatorial Guinea.

By January 2021, it was already serving 208 destinations (compared to 317 before the pandemic). By February 2021, it was the largest carrier in Europe by passenger volume, ahead of previous leaders Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, British Airways, Ryanair, and easyJet.