Turkish Airlines Carries 7,6 Million Passengers in January

Turkey

Flag carrier reports double-digit growth and strong load factor at the start of 2026

Turkish Airlines carried 7.6 million passengers in January 2026, marking a solid start to the year. According to data disclosed on Türkiye’s Public Disclosure Platform, passenger numbers rose by 12.4% year-on-year, while the airline achieved an overall load factor of 84%.

Load factor improves year-on-year

The load factor increased by 1.6 percentage points compared to January 2025, reflecting continued demand across the airline’s global network. International passenger services recorded a load factor of 83.7%, while domestic routes performed even stronger at 87.5%.

Growth in international transfer traffic

International-to-international passenger traffic climbed by 10.8% year-on-year to 3.1 million passengers in January. The figures underline Turkish Airlines’ role as a major global hub carrier connecting Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas via Istanbul.

Capacity and cargo volumes on the rise

Available seat kilometers (ASK) increased by 6.4%, reaching 23.7 billion in January, up from 21.5 billion a year earlier. Cargo and mail operations also showed robust growth, with volumes jumping 18.8% year-on-year to 178,303 tons.

Expanding fleet supports growth strategy

At the end of January 2026, Turkish Airlines’ fleet stood at 522 aircraft, supporting the carrier’s ongoing expansion strategy across passenger and cargo markets.