Turkish Airlines targets top 100 most valuable global brands

Turkish Airlines aims to become the first Turkish company — and potentially the first airline — to rank among the world’s 100 most valuable brands, CEO Ahmet Olmustur told Anadolu.

Olmustur said the flag carrier would pursue value-driven growth alongside its volume-based expansion to achieve the goal, stressing that building brand value is a long-term process unique to each company.

“We’ve created some 122 touchpoints to interact with passengers, starting from visiting our website and continuing with the check-in and boarding at the airport, as well as with in-flight experience, baggage delivery, and other subsequent customer relations processes — these make up integral parts of customer experience and are the most important criteria in our strategy,” he said.

Turkish Airlines has been Türkiye’s most valuable brand for nine consecutive years, reaching a record brand valuation of $2.9 billion last year. The airline is now seeking to strengthen its international standing through product diversification, including the planned introduction of a Premium Economy cabin.

“We will offer passenger seats with a greater recline angle and more legroom, alongside an enhanced in-flight dining experience and additional benefits through the Miles&Smiles loyalty program,” Olmustur said, adding that the airline is targeting 2029 for the widespread rollout of the new cabin as it reassesses its fleet.

As part of preparations for the new offering, Turkish Airlines launched a tender process in July to acquire regional aircraft, with their integration into the fleet expected in the second half of 2028.

“The fleet expansion will allow connecting a daily passenger count of 100-140 to Istanbul and transport our passengers to other destinations in our flight network via the megacity, thereby strengthening the importance of the IGA Istanbul Airport as a leading hub,” he said.

The carrier also plans to increase the number of long-range, high-capacity aircraft in its fleet, focusing on models with around 400 seats.

Turkish Airlines already records what it describes as the world’s highest operational efficiency for its Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleets in 2025-2026. One of its A350S, registered as TC-LGP, recorded an industry-leading average daily flight duration of 17 hours and 20 minutes last year.

Olmustur said the airline’s objective was to maximise aircraft utilisation while maintaining operational standards.

“We aim to ensure the effective use of our aircraft by maintaining the highest standards of safety, maintenance, and operational requirements,” he said.

By Tamilla Hasanova