Turkish Airlines carries 56 million passengers in 8 months

Turkish Airlines (THY) carried 55.97 million passengers in the January-August period, marking a 20 percent increase from a year earlier.

The international passenger tally rose by 19 percent to 35.3 million, while domestic passengers were up nearly 22 percent to 20.7 million.

The passenger load factor improved from 78.9 percent in January-August last year to 82.9 percent.

The number of destinations the flag carrier flies to rose from 335 to 339 as of August 2023, while the company expanded its fleet from 387 to 428 aircraft.

In August alone, Turkish Airlines served 8.7 million passengers, up 10.7 percent year-on-year.

The annual increase in international passengers was 5.6 percent to 5.5 million.

Meanwhile, the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ) said the total passenger traffic at Türkiye's airports increased by 21 percent year-on-year in January-August to 143.2 million.

Domestic passengers rose by 17.7 percent from a year ago to 61.1 million, while international passengers climbed 23.7 percent to 82 million.

Some 51 million passengers went through Istanbul Airport in the first eight months of the year, up 24 percent, with international passengers rising 26 percent to 38.4 million.

Sabiha Gökçen Airport in Istanbul saw a 39 percent increase in passenger traffic in January-August. Domestic passengers using the airport rose by 15 percent from a year ago to 11.6 million. Sabiha Gökçen also served 12.7 million international passengers in the same period, marking a 32 percent increase from January to August last year.