Turkish Airlines has disclosed traffic numbers for 2023. In line with the airline’s ambitious growth goals, passenger traffic metrics showed double digit increases across the board.
The Turkish flag carrier carried a record 83.4 million people last year, of which 53 million flew internationally (a 14% increase over 2022). Remarkably, international traffic was up 27% compared to 2019, which confirms that Turkish Airlines has left any pandemic after-effects firmly behind.
The growth in the domestic market, which is driven by continued capacity increase, was even sharper at 23.5%, reaching the 30 million passenger mark.
Turkish Airlines continued to add to its aircraft fleet, which grew by 12% over the course of 2023. This was followed by the addition of 10 airplanes in the first quarter of 2024. However, the carrier still has some way to go when it comes to its strategic plans for capacity growth. In May 2023, Ahmed Bolat, Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee at Turkish Airlines, confirmed the airline’s goal of reaching 800 aircraft within the next decade.
The other vector for capacity increases is network expansion, with Turkish Airlines consolidating its position as the airline that flies to the most countries in the world.
The list of destinations served by Turkish Airlines from Istanbul has continued to grow with the launch of the carrier’s first destination in Australia, Melbourne (MEL) in March 2024, and the upcoming launch of services to Denver, Colorado (DEN) in June 2024.