Turkish Airlines (THY) disclosed its traffic results for January 2025 through the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) on February 7, 2025. According to consolidated January 2025 Traffic Results (including both Turkish Airlines main brand and AJet data) THY reached a figure of 6.8 Million passengers in January, representing an increase of 8.2% compared to 6.3 Million passengers in January 2024. According to a statement issued by the airline’s Press Office, the number of international-to-international guests welcomed onboard increased by 8.5% to 2.8 Million from 2.6 Million in the same period of 2024. The total volume of Available Seat Kilometers (ASK), which was 20 Billion in January 2024, increased by 7.5% to 21.5 Billion for the same period of 2025. These figures highlight THY's strong growth and operational efficiency.

According to THY’s December 2024 Traffic Results, that publicized on January 8, 2025, during the period of January – December 2024, international to international passenger carried increased by 6.4% to 31.7 Million from 29.8 Million in the same period of 2023, while the international passengers increased by 2.9% annually to 54.6 Million. This rise is largely credited to THY’s aggressive international expansion throughout 2024 which it intends to continue in 2025. The strong passenger traffic in December 2024, particularly the robust growth in international traffic compared to the same period last year, also indicates a continued recovery in passenger traffic. 

Meanwhile, according to THY’s January 2025 Traffic Results the total passenger load factor improved from 80.3% in January 2024 to 82.4% during January 2025 (2.1 points higher than the same period of 2024). The load factors for international and domestic routes stood at 82.3% and 83.5%, respectively. In January 2025 cargo-mail volume of the airline remained unchanged from January 2024, totaling 149.7 thousand tons. While, the seat capacity of the airline increased by 9.53% compared to January 2024, reaching 98.364, and the fleet grew from 440 aircraft to 477 by the end of January 2025. The number of destinations served by the airline rose from 340 in January 2024 to 352 by the end of January 2025.

Target Fleet of 530 Aircraft by the End of 2025

In its December 2024 Traffic Results, the airline had disclosed that the number of aircraft in its fleet, which took delivery of its 400th aircraft on February 24, 2023 and carried its 1 Billionth passenger in April, reached 492 by the end of December 2024. Despite aircraft delivery delays and Pratt & Whitney’s Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine-related groundings, Turkish Airlines (THY) aims to increase its fleet by 8-10% in 2025, contingent on manufacturer delivery schedules. This would bring the total number of aircraft in THY fleet to approximately 530 in 2025. 

Turkish Airlines (THY) is aggressively expanding its fleet, with over 270 aircraft on order, including Airbus A321neos, A350s, and potential new Boeing orders. This signals the airline’s ambition to strengthen its long-haul and high-frequency operations, further cementing Istanbul as a major global aviation hub. With these new aircraft, THY is expected to enhance its ultra-long-haul capabilities, expand into new markets, and increase frequencies on high-demand routes. The addition of fuel-efficient Airbus A321neos and A350s, will not only enhance THY’s long-haul and ultra-long-haul capabilities but also optimize operational costs.

THY’s strategic plan up to 2033 foresees fleet growth to more than 800 aircraft, transporting more than 170 million of passengers, versus 492 aircraft as of the end of December 2024, and expected 600 aircraft by the end of 2026. Given the strategic location of Istanbul Airport (IST), which serves as a crucial global hub for the airline and bridging Europe, Asia, and Africa, THY’s fleet expansion aligns with its goal of becoming one of the world’s leading full-service carriers, competing with leading carriers like Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Singapore Airlines. The fleet growth, coupled with the development of Ajet, THY’s low-cost subsidiary, will gradually enhance THY’s business profile, reinforcing its dominance in the Europe-Asia-Africa corridor.

THY Sets Guinness World Record™ for “Most Countries Flown to by an Airline”

In December 2024, Turkish Airlines has officially been recognized by Guinness World Records™ for holding the title of the “Most Countries Flown to by an Airline”. The airline, which has held this title since 2012, was presented with the record certificate at Santiago Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport following its inaugural flight to Chile. The ceremony was attended by Turkish Airlines executives and Guinness World Records™ officials. This recognition has solidified the airline’s position as a truly global carrier.

According to Guinness World Records™ evaluation criteria, Turkish Airlines set the record by flying to 120 active countries in 2024. However, when considering temporarily suspended routes and the recent addition of Chile to its network, Turkish Airlines' reach now extends to 131 countries, which is far ahead of competitors like Qatar Airways (90+ countries) and Air France (94 countries in 2022, 73 countries in 2024-2025).

As of February 7, 2025, flying to more international destinations than any airline in the world THY is operating flights to 131 countries worldwide, with 352 destinations, including Türkiye, across 6 continents. Turkish Airlines (THY), which has become an impressive force on the global airline stage in recent years, continues to expand its seamless connectivity through new destinations, while offering unmatched service quality worldwide.

In January 2025 Turkish Airlines, has resumed its flights to Damascus, which were first started on February 1984 and suspended since April 2012. Starting from January 23, 2025, Turkish Airlines will operate three flights per week to Damascus on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

As one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing international carriers, Turkish Airlines (THY) is set to launch flights to Minneapolis, USA in April or May 2025 and later to Auckland, Auckland on New Zealand’s North Island via Singapore, solidifying its status as the airline with the world’s largest flight network. This move aligns with the airline’s strategy of strengthening its presence in the South Pacific, following its successful entry into Australia with flights to Melbourne and Sydney (via Singapore) in 2024. Currently, THY operates a mix of Airbus A350-900s, Boeing 777-300ERs, and 787-9s on its long-haul routes to the region. However, with the arrival of its Airbus A350-1000s in late 2025, the airline is expected to introduce non-stop services on select ultra-long-haul routes. This would enhance connectivity and reduce travel times, making THY even more competitive in the global aviation market. Given the airline’s rapid growth and increasing demand for flights between Europe and the Asia-Pacific, these new routes mark a logical and strategic expansion. If the Auckland service becomes a reality, THY would be one of the few European carriers directly connecting New Zealand with Europe via Istanbul, further solidifying its position as a global aviation powerhouse.

Turkish Airlines (THY) will also expand its African reach further in 2025. Flag carrier resumed its flights from Istanbul to Libya’s northeastern city of Benghazi after 10 years on January 14, 2025. Turkish Airlines started flights to Benghazi in May 2009 and operated regularly until suspension in January 2015. The airline is now flying 3 times a week to Libya’s second-largest city Benghazi. THY is set to expand its flight network with 7 new African routes from Istanbul Airport. In this context THY will launch flights from Istanbul to Ouagadougou and Lusaka in June 2025. Beginning March 31, 2025, the airline also plans to replace its existing nonstop Istanbul–Juba service with a new triangular routing via Asmara, Eritrea.

Turkish Airlines had no regular connections to Africa until the early 2000s. Today, the airline serves 64 destinations across the continent, demonstrating its rapid expansion and commitment to strengthening global connectivity. Of those, Cairo, Tunis, and Algiers in the north of the continent are the most served based on the number of flights. They also have the most available seat capacity. This growth aligns with THY’s strategy of making Istanbul a key transit hub between Africa, Europe, and the rest of the world.

Istanbul Airport HUB

Handling 98.8% of all Turkish Airlines (THY) flights Istanbul Airport (IST) serves as flag carrier’s primary hub. Istanbul Airport, a world-class facility with a current capacity of 90 million passengers, is set to increase its capacity to 120 million by the end of 2025 with the completion of the second phase of investments. With the fourth phase expected to be completed in 2028, this number is planned to reach 200 million passengers.

THY’s biggest advantage is Istanbul Airport (IST)’s geographical location. Situated at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Istanbul Airport gives THY a natural transit hub advantage    allowing narrow-body Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft to reach over 100 countries and half of the world’s population efficiently. Thus, Turkish Airlines can connect 35% of the world’s GDP and 50% of trade volume in just 5 hours. 

THY’s dominance at Istanbul Airport (IST) further strengthens its position in international aviation.  Istanbul Airport's expansion plans are one of the key pillars of the Turkish Airlines' (THY) global growth strategy.

THY continues to dominate global connectivity, leveraging Turkish Airlines continues to dominate global connectivity, leveraging Istanbul’s geographical location. With a growing fleet and strategic expansions, THY aims to increase market share while maintaining its position as the world’s most connected airline.

Fitch Upgraded THY Credit Rating from BB- to 'BB' 

On February 5, 2025 the international credit rating agency Fitch upgraded the credit rating of Turkish Airlines (THY) to BB from BB-. The outlook affirmed as Stable. Fitch also affirmed BB+ rating on the flag carrier’s USD-denominated Enhanced Equipment Trust Certificates (EETC) issued in 2015.

Despite being exposed to foreign exchange risks and relying on Türkiye as a key market, THY maintains solid EBITDAR margins of approximately 20%. Notably, THY's IDR rating remains one notch above Türkiye's Country Ceiling of ‘BB-’