Turkish Airlines carries nearly 26 million passengers in January-April

The number of passengers Turkish Airlines carried in the first four months of 2024 increased by 8 percent from a year ago to 25.94 million.

The international passenger tally rose by 6.1 percent annually to 16.3 million, while domestic passengers were up 11.5 percent to 9.2 million.

The passenger load factor declined slightly from 80.9 percent in January-April last year to 80.5 percent in the same period of 2024, the carrier said in a filing with Borsa Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines increased its seat capacity by 11.1 percent to 93,360, while its fleet expanded from 414 jets to 455 as of April.

The carrier also expanded its network from 337 destinations to 341.

In April alone, Turkish Airlines saw a 6.9 percent increase in passenger traffic to more than 7 million, with international passengers rising 4.5 percent year-on-year to 4.25 million.

Last month, the company carried 2.76 million domestic passengers, marking an 11 percent increase from a year ago.

Turkish Airlines is preparing to start flights from Istanbul to Denver in mid-June, thereby expanding its tally of destinations served in the United States to 14 as the company is working to lure more American holidaymakers. It aims to bring some 2 million travelers to Türkiye.

Pegasus posts loss

Meanwhile, budget-carrier Pegasus reported a net loss of 103 million euros in the first quarter of 2024, against a net loss of 22 million in January-March last year.

The company's revenues increased by 17 percent year-on-year to 519 million euros, while costs were up 26 percent to 563 million euros.

Pegasus served a total of 8.1 million passengers in the first three months of 2024, up 28 percent from a year ago.