Turkey's national flag carrier transported 6.9 percent more passengers in the first nine months of 2017 compared to last year, setting a new record, the airline announced yesterday. Turkish Airlines (THY) carried 51.6 million passengers in January to September 2017, the company said in a statement. During the same period, the airlines' total passenger load factor – an airline industry metric that measures how much of an airline's passenger carrying capacity is used – rose 4.3 points to 79 percent. The carrier carried 6.7 million passengers in September, up 13 percent compared to the same month last year. In September, the company's total passenger load factor climbed 5.7 points to 81.5 percent. The airline said the highest increases last month were seen in its North American and Far Eastern routes, 10.3 and 6.3 percent, respectively.