- \n
- In 1910, a military delegation from the Ottoman Empire attended the International Aviation Congress in Paris.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Under the leadership of Minister of War Mahmut \u015eevket Pasha, the first aviation unit in the army was established in 1911.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The first pilot in Turkish aviation history was Captain Mehmet Fesa Evrensev, who became the first pilot of the Turkish Air Force and of Turkish aviation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The first Turkish aircraft, the Vecihi K-VI, was designed in 1924 by the famous Turkish pilot Vecihi H\u00fcrku\u015f.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- In line with Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atat\u00fcrk\u2019s words, \u201cThe future is in the skies,\u201d the Turkish Aeronautical Association was founded on February 16, 1925.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The first civil air transport in T\u00fcrkiye was carried out in 1933 by the State Airlines Administration, the predecessor of Turkish Airlines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe legends of Hez\u00e2rfen Ahmed \u00c7elebi and Lag\u00e2ri Hasan \u00c7elebi<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/turkish-aviation-history-hezarfen-ahmed-lagari-hasan-1024x571.jpg\")
A sepia-toned historic view of Istanbul: Galata Tower on the right, Hezarfen\u2019s AI-generated glider on the left, and the Bosphorus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Hez\u00e2rfen Ahmed \u00c7elebi and Lag\u00e2ri Hasan \u00c7elebi share a few things in common: both are believed to have lived in the 17th century. The only information we have about them comes from Evliya \u00c7elebi’s Seyahatn\u00e2me, their contemporary. To date, no other sources are known. For this reason, the narratives about Hez\u00e2rfen Ahmed \u00c7elebi and Lag\u00e2ri Hasan \u00c7elebi are rather legendary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Known as Hez\u00e2rfen, meaning \u201ca thousand sciences,\u201d Ahmed \u00c7elebi was skilled in various sciences and arts. According to Evliya \u00c7elebi\u2019s Seyahatn\u00e2me, he took off from the Galata Tower using a special device he had built, crossed the Bosphorus, and landed in \u00dcsk\u00fcdar. It is considered impossible that Hez\u00e2rfen Ahmed \u00c7elebi flew the 3,200-meter distance from the Galata Tower by flapping wings in imitation of birds, using only arm and muscle power. According to today\u2019s aerodynamic knowledge, such a flight is thought to have been possible only with a simple glider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lag\u00e2ri Hasan \u00c7elebi, meanwhile, was an Ottoman craftsman said to have flown using rockets fueled by gunpowder paste. This story, too, is based solely on Evliya \u00c7elebi\u2019s Seyahatn\u00e2me. The absence of any other source regarding the flight experiences of either figure, together with modern aerodynamic science, indicates that these flights are impossible. Even so, Hez\u00e2rfen Ahmed \u00c7elebi and Lag\u00e2ri Hasan \u00c7elebi continue to hold prominent places in our history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nAviation activities in the Ottoman Empire<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ottoman-aviation-history-1024x571.jpg\")
A sepia-toned view of Istanbul: Men in fezzes in the foreground, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in the background, and a giant AI-generated hot air balloon floating in the sky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n The first aviation activities in the Ottoman Empire began in 1909. Hot-air balloon demonstrations in Istanbul and \u0130zmir by a French inventor underscored the airplane’s importance as an invention. Following this, the Ottoman Empire sent a military delegation to Europe in 1910.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There, the delegation followed developments in aviation and attended the International Aviation Congress in Paris. From that point on, a new chapter in Turkish aviation history had begun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first Turkish pilots: Captain Mehmet Fesa Bey and Lieutenant Yusuf Kenan<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We had now officially entered a period of active aviation, and we did not want to fall behind. In line with this, under the leadership of Minister of War Mahmut \u015eevket Pasha, the first army aviation unit was established in 1911. Captain Mehmet Fesa Evrensev and Lieutenant Yusuf Kenan were sent to the Bl\u00e9riot Factory’s flight school in France for pilot training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are wondering who the first Turkish aviator was, Mehmet Fesa Evrensev was the first Turkish officer to train at the Bl\u00e9riot Factory\u2019s flight school and to complete the program. He became the first pilot of the Turkish Air Force. Due to his importance in aviation history, Mehmet Fesa Evrensev, T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s first pilot, was honored by the Turkish Airline Pilots\u2019 Association, which declared April 26 World Pilots\u2019 Day in 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lieutenant Yusuf Kenan, who went for training with Captain Mehmet Fesa, also made his mark in Turkish aviation history as one of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s first military pilots. After their training, these two Turkish officers brought the two Deperdussin aircraft the Ottoman army had purchased from France to T\u00fcrkiye. As you can appreciate, these two names are among the leading figures in Turkish aviation history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Women who shaped Turkish aviation history<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/women-in-turkish-aviation-history-1024x571.jpg\")
A sepia-toned AI-generated image of “Sabiha G\u00f6k\u00e7en” wearing leather flying goggles and a helmet, a scarf blowing in the wind, and an aircraft bearing the Turkish flag<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n - \n
- Bedriye Tahir G\u00f6kmen:<\/strong>\u00a0Became T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s first female pilot in 1933.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Belk\u0131s \u015eevket:\u00a0<\/strong>Became the first Turkish woman to fly in an aircraft when she boarded a plane departing from Ye\u015filk\u00f6y on December 1, 1913.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Sabiha G\u00f6k\u00e7en:\u00a0<\/strong>Became the world\u2019s first female fighter pilot. She also trained several pioneering women aviators.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Madelet Reyal:\u00a0<\/strong>Became one of the few female aviators to fly a glider with A, B, and C brevet licenses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Leman Bozkurt Alt\u0131n\u00e7eki\u00e7 and \u015eenay G\u00fcnay:\u00a0<\/strong>Became T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s first female jet pilots after completing their training with the Jet Training Squadron in Eski\u015fehir in 1958.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Y\u0131ld\u0131z Eru\u00e7man:\u00a0<\/strong>Became the first Turkish female parachutist after jumping from a Russian R-5 aircraft in September 1935.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Edibe Suba\u015f\u0131 Kutucuo\u011flu:\u00a0<\/strong>Became one of the architects of the Turkish Stars, the aerobatic team within the Turkish Air Force.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nYe\u015filk\u00f6y Aviation School is established<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Aircraft](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/turkish-aviation-history-yesilkoy-aviation-school-1024x571.jpg\")
Aircraft on a grass airfield, with ground crew, a control tower, and a waving Turkish flag. AI-generated by Nano Banana Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Minister of War Mahmut \u015eevket Pasha had assigned Staff Lieutenant Colonel S\u00fcreyya Bey to oversee aviation operations. S\u00fcreyya Bey saw that pilot training abroad was quite expensive and was seeking a solution. For this reason, he first recognized the need to establish an aviation school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They decided that the most suitable location for such a school would be Ye\u015filk\u00f6y in Istanbul. The wind direction, the condition of the land, and its proximity to the railway made Ye\u015filk\u00f6y an attractive location. Ye\u015filk\u00f6y Aviation School officially opened on July 3, 1912. According to the plan, three course terms would be offered each year, with about 15 to 20 pilots trained in each term. Observers and mechanics were also trained there. After Ye\u015filk\u00f6y Aviation School was evacuated on March 1, 1919, at the British request, the aviators relocated to Maltepe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nTurkish aviation during the War of Independence<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"In](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/turkish-aviation-history-war-of-independence-1024x572.jpg\")
In a historic workshop, craftsmen building a wooden aircraft frame examine a blueprint. A representative sepia-toned image generated with Nano Banana Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n During the War of Independence, new aircraft were produced by combining parts from different aircraft, thanks to the workshops established in Konya and Eski\u015fehir. Built with local materials, these aircraft emerged amid scarcity. In these workshops, creative solutions were developed to repair aircraft that were war leftovers, brought from abroad, or captured from the enemy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe foundations of Turkish civil aviation are laid<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/turkish-civil-aviation-history-1024x571.jpg\")
A pilot in a leather jacket examining a Turkish-flagged biplane parked on a grass runway. A representative sepia-toned image generated using Nano Banana Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atat\u00fcrk did not say \u201cThe future is in the skies\u201d without cause. In keeping with these words, which also guided the country’s future, the Turkish Aeronautical Association was established in 1925. Thanks to the Turkish Aeronautical Association, which later became known as \u201cT\u00fcrk Hava Kurumu,\u201d the institutional foundations of civil aviation in our country were laid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following year, on April 23, 1926, the \u201cAircraft Mechanics School\u201d opened to train the technical personnel needed by Turkish aviation. By 1929, the T\u00fcrk Hava Kurumu had become a member of the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration A\u00e9ronautique Internationale (FAI), the highest-level international aviation organization. We have now begun to expand our institutional reach as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nVecihi H\u00fcrku\u015f and the first Turkish aircraft, Vecihi K-VI<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/first-turkish-aircraft-vecihi-hurkus-1024x627.jpg\")
A biplane parked in a grassy field, with a crescent-and-star emblem on its tail. A representative sepia-toned image generated with Nano Banana Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Vecihi H\u00fcrku\u015f is undoubtedly one of the most iconic figures in Turkish aviation history. He created both the first Turkish aircraft and the first civil aviation school. Born in Istanbul in 1896, H\u00fcrku\u015f volunteered for the Balkan War in 1912. After school, he was involved in a plane crash in 1916. Once he recovered, he entered the aviation school in Ye\u015filk\u00f6y. Vecihi H\u00fcrku\u015f, who flew 102 different types of aircraft during his career, designed and produced the first Turkish aircraft, the Vecihi K-VI, in 1924. He did so using aircraft materials left behind by the Greeks during the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One day, someone on the technical committee said, \u201cVecihi, we cannot give you this license. If you trust your aircraft, get in, fly it, and save us from this.\u201d H\u00fcrku\u015f saw it as an opportunity. On January 28, 1925, he made his first flight in the \u201cVecihi K-VI.\u201d Although he was punished for the unauthorized flight, an important moment in Turkish aviation history had occurred. On June 17, 1925, Vecihi H\u00fcrku\u015f became the first person in T\u00fcrkiye to receive the title of \u201cChief Aviator.\u201d Was that all? Not at all\u2026 On April 21, 1932, he founded the first Turkish civil aviation school, the Vecihi Civil Aviation School (VSTM). Twelve students were enrolled, two of whom were women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of this is more than enough to make Vecihi H\u00fcrku\u015f an integral part of Turkish aviation history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA businessman of many firsts: Nuri Demira\u011f<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Born in Divri\u011fi, Sivas, in 1886, Nuri Demira\u011f was among the first contractors involved in building the railways of the Republic of T\u00fcrkiye. Nuri Bey, who wove iron networks through the places he passed through, from Samsun to Erzurum, was personally given his surname by Atat\u00fcrk for these works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most important figures in Turkish aviation history, Nuri Bey established the first private-sector aircraft factory in our country and produced both aircraft and gliders. Thus, Nuri Demira\u011f founded T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s first aircraft factory and produced the first domestically built training aircraft, the \u201cNu.D-36.\u201d Before the G\u00f6k School in Ye\u015filk\u00f6y, he also laid the foundations for a secondary school in his hometown of Divri\u011fi, which he called the \u201cB\u00fcy\u00fck G\u00f6k Okulu.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWomen in the skies: Bedriye Tahir G\u00f6kmen and Sabiha G\u00f6k\u00e7en<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/first-turkish-female-pilot-bedriye-tahir-gokmen-1024x763.jpg\")
T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s first female pilot, Bedriye Tahir G\u00f6kmen, posing in the cockpit wearing a leather pilot cap<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Bedriye Han\u0131m enrolled at the Vecihi Civil Aviation School, the first Turkish civil aviation school, founded by Vecihi H\u00fcrku\u015f in 1932, and never neglected her studies there. What she truly longed for was to take to the skies and fly. Bedriye Han\u0131m, who became T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s first female pilot in 1933, had already taken to the skies before the Surname Law was enacted. After the Surname Law was passed in 1934, Bedriye Tahir adopted the surname \u201cG\u00f6kmen\u201d and completed 246 flights during her aviation training. She thus became one of the most significant figures in the history of Turkish civil aviation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sabiha G\u00f6k\u00e7en, the pioneering Turkish woman pilot, was adopted by Atat\u00fcrk in 1925 and learned to fly in 1935 after joining T\u00fcrkku\u015fu, which was affiliated with the Turkish Aeronautical Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1937, she was awarded the institution\u2019s \u201cNo. 9 Murassa (Pride) Medal\u201d for being the first female pilot trained by the Turkish Aeronautical Association. As the first female military pilot of the Republic of T\u00fcrkiye, Sabiha G\u00f6k\u00e7en became the first Turkish female fighter pilot in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n1933: Institutional flights begin in the skies<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/turkish-aviation-history-turkish-airlines-1024x378.jpg\")
A historic twin-tailed Turkish aircraft during takeoff or landing; an original nostalgic sepia-toned photograph<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n When the calendars read May 20, 1933, the skies were the domain of the State Airlines Administration. During this period, when Fesa Evrensev, one of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s first aviators, served as general manager, the State Airlines Administration had only 5 aircraft in its fleet. The State Airlines Administration was none other than Turkish Airlines, which would later become \u201cthe airline flying to the most countries in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The flag carrier also operated our country\u2019s first international flight in 1947, from Istanbul to Athens. In 1951, with a fleet of 33 aircraft, it began flying to new destinations, including Nicosia, Beirut, and Cairo. The name \u201cTurkish Airlines\u201d was adopted in 1955, and under this name, the airline became a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA skyward adventure crossing continents<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It was time to open up to the world. Soon after, Istanbul Ye\u015filk\u00f6y Airport was completed in 1953 and opened to international air traffic. From 1985 onward, the airport continued operating under the name \u201cAtat\u00fcrk Airport\u201d and served as a global meeting point for many years, witnessing countless moments. Istanbul Sabiha G\u00f6k\u00e7en Airport (SAW), the global meeting point on Istanbul\u2019s Asian Side, was founded in 1998 and opened in 2001.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA Turkish Airlines history full of achievements<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/turkish-airlines-history-1024x608.jpg\")
A historic passenger aircraft with the registration \u201cTC-SET\u201d and the Turkish Airlines logo, waiting on the apron with its doors open, with a classic minibus in front. An original, nostalgic color photograph<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n As time passed and technology advanced, aviation also shared in this progress. In our country, we began to witness this advancement firsthand with Turkish Airlines. In 1958, Turkish Airlines added 5 Viscount 794 aircraft to its fleet, marking the transition from piston engines to jet-powered aircraft and opening a new era in our aviation history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1961, Captain Pilots Zihni Bar\u0131n and Nurettin G\u00fcr\u00fcn made history for Turkish Airlines. After a 30-hour flight, the pilots crossed the Atlantic Ocean, ferrying two F-27 aircraft from the United States to Istanbul. The flag carrier, which had only 5 aircraft in its fleet and fewer than 30 employees in 1933, had grown to a family of 4,437 people by the first half of the 1970s\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe new center of aviation: Istanbul Airport<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Istanbul](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/istanbul-airport-1024x683.jpg\")
Istanbul Airport\u2019s tulip-shaped air traffic control tower at sunset, with aircraft lined up on the ground and gliding through the sky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Istanbul Airport, which opened on October 29, 2018, has become the new center of aviation. From its architecture and technology to its infrastructure and the travel experience it offers, Istanbul Airport reflects a modern approach to aviation. Here are some of the standout figures at Istanbul Airport, the hub of aviation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Belk\u0131s \u015eevket:\u00a0<\/strong>Became the first Turkish woman to fly in an aircraft when she boarded a plane departing from Ye\u015filk\u00f6y on December 1, 1913.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Bedriye Tahir G\u00f6kmen:<\/strong>\u00a0Became T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s first female pilot in 1933.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/turkish-parachuting-history-1024x571.jpg\")