Turkish Airlines reported a $2.2 billion profit from its main operations in 2025, with a notable 12% increase in revenue and a 23% rise in profit during the fourth quarter compared to the same period in 2024. The airline achieved these results despite ongoing supply chain challenges affecting the aviation industry throughout the year.
In an interview with Simple Flying, Professor Ahmed Bolat, Chair of the Board and Executive Committee at Turkish Airlines, discussed factors behind this performance and addressed how the airline is navigating current regional challenges. Bolat stated that “significant supply-chain constraints continued to affect the aviation industry” but emphasized that “our 2025 results exceeded our operational expectations,” attributing success to “the strength and resilience of our global business model.”
Bolat identified several contributors to these results, including disciplined capacity growth of 7.5%, maintaining profitability while expanding, and meeting strong international demand for premium passenger services. He highlighted a “prudent capital allocation approach enabling [investment] in fleet expansion, infrastructure, and strategic initiatives without compromising financial stability.” He also noted:
“Although aircraft delivery delays and engine-related constraints created challenges across the industry, our operational efficiency and capacity prioritization for fleet optimization supported the resilience of our results.”
The airline’s fleet grew by a net total of 24 aircraft in 2025 after retiring 33 planes and adding 57 new deliveries. For 2026, Turkish Airlines expects to receive 90 new aircraft, aiming to expand its fleet from 516 to over 560 planes. This supports both increased capacity and network growth.
New routes launched in 2025 included Ohrid (North Macedonia), Seville (Spain), Port Sudan (Sudan), and Phnom Penh (Cambodia). The carrier also resumed flights to destinations such as Benghazi, Damascus, Aleppo, Misrata, and Sulaymaniyah as part of its strategy targeting underserved markets.
Other divisions contributed significantly as well. AJet, Turkish Airlines’ low-cost arm, saw passenger numbers rise by 16% to reach an annual total of 23.4 million across approximately 144,000 flights. Turkish Cargo transported an increased volume of goods—up by 8.4%—reaching a total of 2.2 million tons worldwide.
Addressing recent instability due to conflict in the Middle East region—including what has been described as the Iran Crisis—Bolat explained that while Istanbul operations remain unaffected, Turkish Airlines has paused all Middle East flights except those to Saudi Arabia and Oman. These routes account for about six percent of overall capacity and revenue. To mitigate this impact Bolat said: “to offset the impact of paused flights, we are adjusting our capacity dynamically.”
Despite regional disruptions, Bolat observed growing demand on routes serving Far East Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, and Africa: “demand uptick from the routes in the Far East, Central and South Asia, and Africa,” with Turkish Airlines remaining “cautiously optimistic” since demand often returns quickly when conflicts subside.
Looking ahead to 2026 plans include further fleet expansion along with new destinations such as Yerevan (Armenia), Timișoara (Romania), Monrovia (Liberia), Bissau (Guinea-Bissau), Urumqi and Chengdu (China). Flights will also resume to London Stansted Airport and Tirana.
Simple Flying conducted this interview as part of its ongoing coverage providing news analysis aimed at aviation professionals worldwide through daily updates on topics like airline finance trends according to its official website. The platform features contributions from journalists with expertise in aviation and serves a global audience interested in developments across airlines as part of Valnet Publishing Group.
