Türkiye’s civil aviation fleet grows to 846 aircraft with seating capacity of 166,000

Turkish aviation carries 111 million passengers and nearly 2.5 million tons of cargo in H1, while securing new cargo rights with Canada and ranking 5th in Europe for foreign aircraft safety assessments

Türkiye’s civil aviation sector continues to grow, with the number of aircraft in airline fleets reaching 846 and their seating capacity reaching 166,000, according to recent data from the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry’s Civil Aviation General Directorate. Türkiye’s civil aviation performance in the first half of the year showed that the sector’s growth gained momentum, while the country ranked fifth among European countries in the Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft Program (SAFA). Turkish civil aviation secured 22 additional flight frequencies and unlimited cargo flight rights with Canada after eight international negotiations conducted in the first half of the year. Meanwhile, the number of air passengers reached 111 million in January-June, 50 million of whom flew on domestic routes and 61 million on international routes. The volume of cargo transported during this period reached nearly 2.5 million metric tons, including 441,000 metric tons on domestic routes and around 2.1 million metric tons on international routes. Civil aviation records showed that there were 14 airlines, 49 air taxi operators, 101 general aviation operators, 72 hot-air balloon operators, 13 ultralight aircraft operators, 165 maintenance facilities, 48 ground handling companies, and 15 runways at the end of the first half of the year. The records also showed that there were 259 aircraft in air taxi operations, 632 in general aviation operations, 528 in hot-air balloon operations, and 35 in ultralight aircraft operations. In the first half of the year, Türkiye’s global aviation connections continued to expand, with the number of countries with which Türkiye has air transport agreements rising to 175. At the same time, Turkish aviation carried out a total of 838 inspections, including 287 inspections for airworthiness, 334 for flight operations, 57 for airports, 37 for air navigation systems, and 23 for aviation security. Some 33 SAFA inspections were also conducted, alongside some 19 Safety Assessment of National Aircraft (SANA) inspections. Further inspection and oversight activities are planned to boost the safety, security, quality, and airworthiness standards of Turkish civil aviation in the second half of the year. Meanwhile, plans are underway to intensify regulatory oversight with a continuous monitoring program for aircraft maintenance organizations, authorized agents, and flight suppliers. Furthermore, the upcoming security agenda includes three airport security audits, three covert aviation security tests, and 15 cybersecurity inspections to ensure the sector continues to operate within global safety standards.