Turkish Airlines serves 18.5 mln passengers in first quarter

The total number of passengers Turkish Airlines carried in the first three months of 2024 has increased by 8.4 percent annually to 18.5 million.

The international passenger tally was up 6.7 percent from a year ago to more than 12 million, while domestic passengers rose by 12.8 percent to 4.49 million, the carrier said in a filing with Borsa Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines increased the number of planes in its fleet from 411 in March last year to 453, with seat capacity increasing 11.8 percent to 93,170.

The number of destinations rose from 337 to 341 as of last month.

In March alone, 6.14 million people traveled with the flag carrier, including 4.01 million international passengers.

Total passenger traffic increased by 0.5 percent compared with the same month of last year, while the annual increase in international passengers was 1.9 percent. Domestic passengers fell by 2.3 percent to 2.06 million.

Turkish Airlines also announced a board decision to establish a joint stock company to carry out all or some of the sports activities, currently carried out under the umbrella of Turkish Airlines Sports Club.

"Our Incorporation will hold 100 percent of the shares, with a cash capital of 1 million Turkish Liras under the name of 'THY Spor A.Ş.' or another trade name to be determined if this title cannot be used," the carried said.

The company posted a net income of more than $6 billion last year, marking a robust 121 percent increase from 2022.

Total revenue rose by 13.7 percent in 2023 compared with 2022 to reach $20.94 billion, while passenger revenue climbed 24 percent to $17.7 billion.