Tag: Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines, the national flag carrier of Türkiye, has signed a codeshare agreement with South African Airways, the national flag carrier of South Africa.

The agreement, which will take effect on March 1, 2026, was signed in Geneva by Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board/Executive Committee,  Prof. Ahmet Bolat and South African Airways CEO, Prof. John Lamola, with the participation of senior executives from both companies.

    Under this new agreement, Turkish Airlines will place its TK flight code on South African Airways flights operating across its key African gateways including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Windhoek, Harare, Victoria Falls and Mauritius. On its part, South African Airways will place its SA flight code on selected Turkish Airlines operated flights between İstanbul and Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Frankfurt, Paris and London.

    Commenting on the agreement, Bolat stated: “Our codeshare agreement with South African Airways is a meaningful step in further strengthening our presence in the African market and deepening the cooperation between Türkiye and South Africa. As the largest non-African airline operating in Africa, we attach great importance to sustainable partnerships that enhance connectivity and cultivate long-term value for our guests.”

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     Lamola said: “South African Airways welcomes this codeshare partnership as a strategic step in expanding safe, reliable, and competitive air services for our customers. Turkish Airlines is a respected global carrier, and this collaboration reflects our shared commitment to strengthening connectivity between Africa and Türkiye. Partnerships of this nature play an important role in supporting tourism, trade, and sustainable economic development.”

        Turkish Airlines continues to reinforce its position as the airline with the most extensive network in Africa, connecting its guests through 65 destinations across 41 countries in the continent.

    The new codeshare agreement with South African Airways will further enhance this connectivity, establishing expanded access across key destinations for Turkish Airlines’ guests in South Africa while offering South African Airways’ guests access to Turkish Airlines’ unparalleled network spanning 355 destinations across 131 countries.

Turkish Airlines has reported a profit from main operations of  $1.1 billion for third quarter 2025, driven by resilient operational performance and strong demand across its global network.

During the July–September 2025 period, total revenues rose by 4.9 per cent to approximately $7 billion, bringing total revenues for the first nine months of the year to $17.8 billion.

The airline noted that profit from main operations stood at $1.1 billion for the quarter and $ 1.7 billion for the January–September period.

It added that consolidated assets reached $43.2 billion, while total employment, including subsidiaries, exceeded 101,000.

It stated that I  line with its long-term investment strategy, the airline invested $ 3.6 billion during the first nine months of the year.

 “Despite global industry challenges such as trade disruptions and aircraft engine-related constraints, Turkish Airlines carried 27.2 million passengers during the third quarter, the highest third-quarter figure in its history. The airline has now sustained growth for 18 consecutive quarters, increasing passenger capacity by 8.2% compared to the same period last year and pushing capacity 43% above pre-pandemic levels.

 “Passenger revenues rose by 6.1%, supported by solid demand and higher capacity, while total revenues grew 4.9% year-on-year. Although yield softening and cost pressures impacted profitability, the company recorded a healthy EBITDAR of $ 2.1 billion, representing a margin of 29.6%,” it said.

Commenting on the results, Prof. Ahmet Bolat, Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines, stated: “The profit we achieved in the third quarter of 2025 once again underscores Turkish Airlines’ adaptability under diverse operational conditions through its diversified revenue structure. As Türkiye’s most valuable global brand and a recognized leader in the aviation industry, we remain committed to sustainable growth and long-term success in line with our 2033 strategy.”

“Turkish Airlines also continued to strengthen its international partnerships during the quarter. In addition to new codeshare agreements signed with global airlines, the company finalized an agreement with Air Europa, one of Spain’s leading carriers, for the acquisition of a minority stake.

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 “This partnership is expected to enhance global connectivity, expand cargo and passenger traffic between Türkiye and Spain, and contribute to Türkiye’s tourism growth by opening new markets in Latin America.

As of September 2025, the airline’s fleet had grown by 8.4% year-on-year, reaching 506 aircraft, despite ongoing production bottlenecks in the aviation industry. To further support its growth ambitions, Turkish Airlines concluded negotiations with Boeing for 50 firm and 25 option orders of B787-9/10 aircraft, along with 100 firm and 50 option orders of B737-8/10 MAX aircraft. These acquisitions align with its long-term goal of expanding its fleet to over 800 aircraft by 2033.

 “With strong October traffic results including a 19% increase in passenger numbers and a 16% rise in cargo volume and healthy forward bookings, the airline expects its 2025 year-end EBITDAR margin to remain within the 22–24% range, consistent with its long-term targets,” he said.

• Travellers recount ordeal at Lagos Airport

Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), said yesterday that it will invoke relevant sections of its regulation to meet out stiff penalties/ sanctions to Turkish Airlines on the maltreatment of Nigerians passengers , who have remained stranded at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for the past few days.

Spokesperson of the regulatory body and Director , Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr Michael Achimugu, who disclosed said the NCAA is currently mediatiing on the feud between the foreign carrier and Aviation Unions, which picket the airline’s operations at the Lagos Airport on Tuesday.

Achimugu said the Federal Government and  its agencies will spare no efforts to call to order any airline that violates  the rights of Nigerian passengers.

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Achimugu said the Director General of NCAA, Captain Chris Najomo had in a virtual meeting initiated reconciliation moves between the Country Manager of Turkish Airlines and the unions, but the representative of the foreign exhibited some traits of insolence , which the regulator observed amounted to lack of regard for the system.

Arising from the infraction, Achimugu said the Federal Government will not hesitate to look deep into the impasse with the possibility of extracting the right punishment if the carrier is found culpable.

The Federal Government, Achimugu said, will take every step to ensure the rights of Nigerian passengers are not trampled upon by any carrier, including foreign airlines, in taking the right steps to address any infractions on their conditions of operations into the country.

He confirmed that hundreds of passengers have been trapped in the imbroglio involving the Turkish Airlines and aviation unions, as the carrier has canceled flights out of and into Nigeria until Thursday.

Achimugu said though the carrier claimed to have communicated with passengers through electronic mail on the on- going hitch concerning its operations into and out of the country, some passengers still turned up at the Lagos Airport.

He said : “ The NCAA is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the inability of Turkish Airlines to operate flights out of Lagos Airport, due to the picketing of its operations by aviation unions, we will ensure that the rights of Nigerian passengers are not violated.

“ President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the NCAA , the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) , and relevant agencies that the rights of Nigerian passengers are protected.

“ Currently, the NCAA is engaging officials of Turkish Airlines, but we have observed some degree of insolence of the Country Manager, who engaged our Director General , Captain Chris Najomo in a shouting match, he was even banging the table. This behaviour to the NCAA is unacceptable. At the end of our findings, if the airline is found culpable, we will invoke the relevant parts of our regulation Part 17 to meet out the right punishment.”

Some of the stranded passengers said they came to the airport preparatory for their outward journey oblivious of the challenges surrounding the airline.

They said they travelled from neighbouring states into Lagos , only to be stranded at Lagos Airport.

They claimed to have missed business and other family commitments on account of their inability to travel at the initial scheduled time.

They are, however, calling on the airline to look beyond providing accommodation as the NCAA regulation prescribes, to  secure  them seats on other airlines in order to meet up with appointments and other schedules.

Recall that the  Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)  on Tuesday commenced the picketing of Turkish Airlines in Lagos in a bid for the carrier to reinstate staff that were dismissed, forced to abandon duty or forced to resign under duress, including those victimised for their union membership in 2020.

The NLC in earlier  notice of picketing of Turkish Airlines in Lagos signed by its Acting General Secretary, Chris Ufot stated that all affiliate unions in aviation are particularly charged to mobilize heavily for the picketing action without fail, adding that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) council is to stand by in case there becomes a need to escalate the matter to Abuja airport.

According to the group, Turkish Airlines management had continued its determined bid to exterminate the union, the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) from the airline.

It noted that in this latest onslaught, the management had dismissed seven out of eleven members of the union without benefits under trump-up charges and using a disciplinary committee constituted outside the dictate of the prevailing condition of service as negotiated with NUATE.