First-half 2026 data for Turkey's civil aviation sector announced
In the first half of the year, airline operators' turnover exceeded 2.4 trillion liras, while the number of countries with transport agreements rose to 175.
Turkey's civil aviation sector served 111 million passengers in the first half of 2026, while the number of aircraft in airline fleets rose to 846.
Passenger and Aircraft Fleet
During the January-June period, the total number of passengers reached 111 million, comprising 50 million on domestic routes and 61 million on international routes.
In the same period, the total number of aircraft in the fleets of airline operators reached 846, while seat capacity exceeded 166,000.
Freight Transport
Significant amounts of cargo and freight transport were also carried out in operations across the sector.
A total of 2,499,000 tons of freight was transported, including 441,000 tons on domestic lines and 2,058,000 tons on international lines.
International Agreements
As of the first half of the year, the total number of countries with which Turkey has air transport agreements increased to 175.
As a result of 8 international negotiations, 22 additional frequencies were gained and the right to operate unlimited cargo flights with Canada was secured.
Economic Growth
The development momentum of the civil aviation sector was directly reflected in the economic data as well.
By the end of the first half of the year, the total turnover of the airline sector across Turkey surpassed 2.4 trillion liras.
SAFA Performance
Turkey maintained its top-tier position in the Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) performance rankings.
According to the disclosed data, the country ranked 5th in the SAFA performance rankings among European countries.