Türkiye recorded growth in fleet, passenger and cargo figures in air transport during the first half of the year. According to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the number of aircraft in airline fleets reached 846, while seating capacity rose to 166,000.
Airlines carried 111 million passengers from January through June. Of this total, 50 million were domestic passengers and 61 million were international passengers.
Approximately 2.5 million metric tons of cargo were transported during the same period. Domestic cargo amounted to 441,000 metric tons, while approximately 2.1 million metric tons of cargo were transported on international routes.
Air transport agreements expanded
Türkiye ranked fifth among European countries under the Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft program, known as SAFA.
Following eight international negotiations with Canada, Türkiye secured 22 additional flight frequencies and the right to operate unlimited cargo flights. The number of countries with which Türkiye has air transport agreements also rose to 175.
Operators registered in civil aviation records
At the end of the first half of the year, civil aviation records listed 14 airlines, 49 air taxi operators, 101 general aviation operators, 72 hot-air-balloon operators and 13 ultralight aircraft operators.
The sector also had 165 maintenance facilities, 48 ground-handling companies and 15 runways registered. A total of 259 aircraft operated in air taxi services, 632 in general aviation activities, 528 in hot-air-balloon operations and 35 in ultralight aircraft operations.
Inspections and plans for the second half
A total of 838 inspections were conducted in the first half of the year in the areas of airworthiness, flight operations, airports, air navigation systems and aviation security as part of civil aviation oversight.
Of the inspections, 287 concerned airworthiness, 334 flight operations, 57 airports, 37 air navigation systems and 23 aviation security. In addition, 33 SAFA inspections and 19 National Aircraft Safety Assessment (SANA) inspections were conducted.
Inspection and oversight activities aimed at strengthening safety, security, quality and airworthiness standards in Turkish civil aviation are planned to continue in the second half of the year.
The scope of the continuous monitoring program for aircraft maintenance organizations, authorized agents and flight providers is expected to be expanded. Security planning also includes three airport security inspections, three covert aviation security tests and 15 cybersecurity inspections.
