Turkish Airlines expands network amid rising transit passenger numbers

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Turkish Airlines expands network amid rising transit passenger numbers

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Turkish Airlines | Wikimedia

By Sky Industry News

Jan 24, 2025

Turkish Airlines, known for serving more countries than any other airline, expanded its network significantly in 2024. New destinations included Denver, Melbourne, Mersin (replacing Adana), Santiago de Chile, Sydney (now the carrier's longest route), Turin, and Tripoli Mitiga. In early 2025, flights to Benghazi and Damascus resumed, with Ohrid service starting in March.

While not officially announced yet, Auckland and Minneapolis are anticipated to join Turkish Airlines' network this year. If Auckland is added, it may be served via Singapore as a one-stop service or non-stop when A350-1000s arrive. This would make it the world's longest non-stop operation.

According to booking data from October 2024, approximately 37 million passengers connected between two Turkish Airlines flights at Istanbul Airport over a year. The airline benefits from a large domestic market and a strategically located hub that supports extensive use of narrowbody aircraft on long routes.

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Istanbul Airport is new and designed for growth but can present challenges with long taxi times due to its size. Despite this, the average wait time has decreased by 31% over ten years compared to the former Istanbul Atatürk Airport.

The Turkish diaspora and growing tourism contribute significantly to traffic through Istanbul. Most passengers fly point-to-point rather than connecting through Istanbul.

Breaking down the connecting passenger data reveals that routes involving Turkey were most popular. Domestic connections within Turkey topped the list with 1.9 million roundtrip passengers.

In terms of airport pairs with high transfer volumes, UK-Pakistan routes like Manchester-Islamabad and Birmingham-Islamabad were particularly prominent despite having no direct flights available.

Overall, Turkish Airlines' vast network allows it to manage risk by spreading passenger loads across numerous origins and destinations while benefiting from restrictions or lack of alternatives in certain markets.