The kickoff: 1933
Turkish Airlines dates back to 1933. By this time in Europe, coincidentally also the tenth anniversary of the Great Republic of Türkiye, both civil and military aviation had also come a long way. As many important airlines were already established and operating in Continental Europe, it was clearly the time for the young and dynamic Republic of Türkiye to make its entering gambit into the game. Thus, two Kingbird aircraft were purchased from the United States. Together with two small Junkers aircraft previously purchased from Germany, our maiden fleet consisting of four aircraft was formed.
On May 20, 1933, Turkish Airlines was officially established when Ministry of National Defense decided to launch service under the title of “General Directorate of the State Airlines Administration.”
Our first fleet of launched operations under the name of Turkish Air Mail. And what of the first commercial airport, you ask? The area in Ankara that today we call Güvercinlik was used. As a passenger and cargo terminal, not much other than a few tents were to be found. In a time of great difficulty, we overcame a number of obstacles in order to become the airline that flies to the most countries in the world today. As the means of navigation were underdeveloped at that time, flying in bad weather was impossible; sometimes a plane going on a mission could not return from the aerodrome and had to wait a few days for the weather to clear. We had only five planes in our fleet – a sixth was soon to be added – and though our staff numbered fewer than 30, every single one of them was a hardworking, talented, and faithful employee.
From Fesa Evrensev to Emel Arman: A History of Turkish Airlines Full of Firsts
Let’s start with the story of our first general manager, Fesa Evrensev: Fesa Evrensev, bearer of licence (bröve) number 1, was a soldier who was rapidly accepted into the Turkish Military Academy after completing his education at Galatasaray High School. In 1911 he applied to become a pilot in the Army and placed first in the exam. Some of the questions asked of the first pilot candidates on 28 June 1911 were as follows:
What do they call the “Kuvvei suudiye (thrust force)“?
Describe the parts in an airplane cooling system
After his successful completion of this exam, Fesa Evrensev was sent to the Blériot School in France for further studies. When he returned home after graduating from school with Aero Club de France brevet number 780, he was granted the honor of being the bearer of the first flight bröve of the Turkish Armed Forces. Retired Major Mehmet Fesa Evrensev left us on April 9, 1951. A special honor will always be attached to his memory: to commemorate the occasion of April 26, 1912, when Evrensev first took flight in the Turkish skies, April 26 was chosen as World Pilots’ Day, and today it continues to be celebrated by aviation professionals all over the world.
Let’s move on to a wonderful story from 1961, when pilots-in-command Captain Zihni Barın and Captain Nurettin Gürün accomplished a first in the history of Turkish Airlines. They crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 30 hours and returned from the USA to İstanbul with two Fairchild F27 Friendship twin-engined turboprop passenger aircraft.
And let us not forget our female pilots. Surely you have heard of Bedriye Tahir Gökmen, Türkiye’s first female pilot in history; however, it did take until 1993 for female captains in Türkiye to pilot commercial airlines. The first female pilot and first female captain of Turkish Airlines is Emel Arman, who began her career with us at that time and is still working for Turkish Airlines today. Arman’s firsts were not limited to this event, however.
Relatively recently, on 29 March 2016, there were two female captain pilots in the cockpit on a long-range flight of Turkish Airlines for the first time. Emel Arman and Ferihan Işık made history again when flew from Chicago to İstanbul in 10 hours.
To — nearly — everywhere on Earth
Turkish Airlines is the airline company with the largest flight network in the world today. We fly to 52 airports in 50 cities across Türkiye, a total of 331 airports in 326 cities in 127 countries around the world. In 2019, we greeted 74.2 million passengers in the sky; we welcomed them with our delicious treats, in the most comfortable seats possible and in the best conditions. Everyone who seeks refreshment while traveling from one place to another is always welcome.
So that everyone can start exploring the treasures nearby: AnadoluJet
In one of our commercials, we said with the utmost sincerity: “If there is one place in Türkiye where we do not fly, what good does it do us to be the one flying to the most points in the world?” In 2008, stemming from this very point of view, we sought a way to embrace Anatolia and make air travel more accessible to all. Ankara-based AnadoluJet has been providing services all over Türkiye at affordable prices since 2008 when it was launched with the slogan ” Everybody should fly”.
Setting Records
In 2009, our promotional film “Feel Like a Star,” starring actor Kevin Costner, was released in 70 countries. In 2010, our motto “Globally yours” which is still engraved in memory, was introduced in a commercial starring Barcelona football team stars — that phrase and the melody were chosen the “most contagious jingle” of the era.
Another commercial film, filmed in 2012 with the theme “Legends on Board”, starred Lionel Messi and the later legendary basketball player Kobe Bryant. The sweet, in-air one-upmanship challenge between the two had been viewed 110 million times by 2016, according to YouTube data. “The Selfie Shootout,” which was the follow-up to this ad, was the most-watched ad video in YouTube’s history, with over 140 million views.
Unconditional support for sports and athletes
As Turkish Airlines, we have supported and continue to support many successful athletes, teams, and organizations both in Türkiye and across the world. Our title sponsorship of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, which we have been supporting since 2010, will continue until 2025. Another organization of which we are the title sponsor is Turkish Airlines Open. The tournament, which assembles the world’s best golf players in Belek every year, has been attended by many international stars of the sport. If you want to know more, you can check it out on this page. Our support for sports and athletes will continue by increasing year on year.
We have come a long and turbulent way; we have more work to do and many goals to achieve. In the 100th year of our Republic, we hope to carry 120 million passengers to the sky with a fleet of 450 aircrafts, and we continue to work with all our strength for this!
Turkish Airlines in Numbers
1: Fesa Evrensev was the first pilot of Türkiye, was granted Turkish flight license (bröve) number 1 and was our first General Manager.
26: April 26, the date when Fesa Evrensev took to the skies of Türkiye for the very first time, is celebrated yearly worldwide as World Pilots’ Day.
1947: We completed our first international flight from İstanbul to Athens in 1947.
1953: Yeşilköy Airport was completed in 1953 and opened to international air traffic. In 1985 Atatürk Airport became the site of many unforgettable moments over the years.
1955: The name “Turkish Airlines,” which takes pride in the extraordinary achievements of our company over the years, emerged in 1955 and our name took its place among the members of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
9000 meters: Wild geese can fly intercontinentally at an altitude of up to 9000 meters, where many other airborne creatures can’t even breathe. In 1959, a logo competition was organized with the initiative of Ulvi Yenal, THY’s General Manager at the time. Mesut Manioğlu’s work won the first place among many works submitted (the graphic artist had previously come to international acclaim by winning an award for his United Nations poster design). It is generally understood that the logo drawn by Manioğlu was inspired by wild geese. These innovative, original, and highly meaningful features overlap with the company’s goals today.
400 million: With our devoted efforts, we increased our capital, which was 200 million in 1972, by 100% and reached 400 million TL.
4437: In 1973 Europe’s first McDonnell Douglas DC-10 plane joined our fleet, and we continued our journey, which started 40 years ago with 24 staff, and has grown to a family of 4,437.
50: In 1983, the 50th year of our story, we started to fly to America. This accomplishment came after successfully operating flights to Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. We were now a world-famous brand serving with over 5 thousand employees on four continents.
1998: We proudly introduced our website to our passengers in 1998.
211: While only six women served as pilots in the Turkish Airlines in 2006, this number increased 35 times to 211 by 2020. Based on these figures, we have become one of the airlines in the world employing the most female pilots.
1: With our user-friendly mobile app, we have reduced the ticket purchase time to less than a minute.
7: APEX, one of the largest international airline associations in the world, registered Turkish Airlines as one of the seven “World Class” companies in the world this year.
120: Our growing passion over the years has made us the airline that flies to the most countries in the world. Today, with our young fleet of more than 373 aircraft, we fly to more than 120 countries from İstanbul Airport, our new home. We proudly carry the Turkish flag all over the world and open wide the doors of a larger world to our passengers.
A few nostalgic photos from the history of Turkish Airlines
