Istanbul: Trkiye's flag carrier Turkish Airlines is targeting a significant expansion in the Asia-Pacific region, with plans to boost flight frequencies by up to 20% in the coming years. This strategic move is part of the airline's broader vision to establish an alternative second corridor between Asia, Australia, and Europe by adding additional flights to key cities.
According to Anadolu Agency, Murat Seker, the board chair of Turkish Airlines, revealed in an interview with Nikkei Asia that the airline currently operates in 133 countries, serving 358 destinations. As part of its expansion efforts in China, Turkish Airlines has increased its flights, adding 10 new services to reach a total of 42 weekly flights this year, with existing rights allowing for growth to 49 flights. The airline has expedited its services to Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou and is set to launch flights to Chengdu in November and Urumqi.
In response to increasing tensions in the Middle East, Turkish Airlines has redirected wide-body capacity to high-demand markets such as Japan, China, Australia, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam. This strategic shift has resulted in the addition of 58 weekly passenger flights and 61 cargo flights, contributing to a 20.5% increase in the airline's second-quarter revenue, which reached $7.2 billion. The carrier's total revenue for the first half of the year rose by 20.8% to $13.1 billion, despite the rising jet fuel costs due to Middle East tensions, which added $1.3 billion in expenses and brought the total conflict-related spending to approximately $2.1 billion.
Turkish Airlines has also expanded its customer base by approximately 5% while increasing its market share by one percentage point in the second quarter. The airline's revenue share from Asian routes rose by five percentage points to 32%, overtaking Europe's 27%, while Asia's share of total passenger traffic climbed from 10% to 12%. Additionally, passenger traffic between Africa and Asia surged by 70%, and traffic between Eastern Europe and Asia grew by 40%, facilitated by shorter transits via Russian airspace.
The airline is also set to increase its current 25 weekly flights to Japan, leveraging newly acquired traffic rights in Singapore and Vietnam. Japanese investors play a significant role in the airline's growth, covering around 20% of its aircraft leasing needs and having financed over 100 aircraft worth approximately $9 billion over the past two decades.
Looking ahead, Turkish Airlines plans to launch nonstop flights to Sydney and Melbourne in 2028, with anticipated support from revenue generated by its long-haul Premium Economy cabins, as reported by Nikkei Asia. The airline is also exploring global joint ventures, seeking potential stakes of 30-50% in operations across Asia and South America, as well as in cargo and aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services.