Turkish Airlines

SunExpress, a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, will reach the largest network in its history this summer, adding 26 new routes, and plans to carry more than 12 million passengers by the end of the year.

The Empire State Building, one of the landmarks of New York, the U.S., has been lit up with colors of the Turkish flag as a tribute to those who lost their lives in the deadly Feb. 6 earthquakes that ripped through Türkiye's south.

Türkiye targets 90 million tourists and $100 billion tourism income in 2028, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has said.

"We will work income-oriented, not cost-oriented, in tourism," Ersoy said at a press conference on Jan. 31.

Turkish Airlines (THY), which has contributed significantly to the increase in the number of tourists visiting Türkiye with its promotional programs, plans to implement a project that teaches Turkish to U.S. housewives.

Turkish Airlines carried a total of 71.8 million passengers in 2022, with the international passenger tally rising nearly 6 percent.

Last year, the carrier served 46.3 million international passengers, and the load factor on the international routes was 80.2 percent, Turkish Airlines said in a filing with Borsa Istanbul.

Istanbul's mega airport was the busiest in Europe last year, according to the latest data from Eurocontrol.

It was again a very close race for the top spot, with İGA Istanbul narrowly finishing the year on top with 1,156 daily movements. Amsterdam Schiphol takes the second spot with 1,140 daily flights, down 18 percent from 2019, Eurocontrol said in a report.

Turkish Airlines has received a new airplane, expanding its fleet, Bilal Ekşi, the CEO of the flag carrier has announced.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner joined the company's fleet on Dec. 31.

"In 2003, we had 65 airplanes. Now we are entering 2023 with 393 airplanes," Ekşi wrote on Twitter.

Türkiye has once again revised its tourist arrival and tourism revenue targets for 2022 upward to 50 million and $44 billion, respectively, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has announced.

Tourism activity is strong in October, Ersoy said at an event in Istanbul, adding that this year's figures will be close to that of 2019.

SunExpress, a joint venture of Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, expects to exceed its target of 10 million for 2022, Max Kownatzki, CEO of SunExpress, has said, also announcing plans for the upcoming winter season.

Turkish Airlines (THY) aims to achieve a growth of between 15 to 17 percent next year, says Ahmet Olmuştur, its chief marketing and sales officer at the flag carrier, adding that the carrier will continue to expand its fleet with new aircraft.