Turkey’s aviation industry is booming as airlines and airports reap the rewards from years of investment and a bet that international travel would rebound from the pandemic more swiftly than rivals anticipated.
The country’s main airlines — flag carrier Turkish Airlines and low-cost airline Pegasus Airlines — ferried 115mn passengers last year, up 10 per cent from 2019, the year before the pandemic. This compares with global air passenger volumes, which are only likely to exceed pre-pandemic levels this year, according to trade group Airports Council International.
Istanbul airport was the busiest in the Europe region in terms of flight numbers last year, according to data firm OAG, while Turkish Airlines was the third-busiest airline, behind Ryanair and easyJet.
The rapid expansion of Turkey’s aviation sector compared with rivals has led the country to become a dominant player in the European market. The growth comes as the country’s airlines and airports have invested…
