The number of foreign pilots working for Turkish airline companies plummeted by 25.7 percent year-on-year at the end of last year.

According to information compiled from the General Directorate of Civil Aviation's (SHGM) annual activity report, a total of 544 pilots out of 10,189 serving at aircraft, helicopters and other air vehicles in Turkish airline companies were foreigners last year. The same figure was 732 in 2017.

The report emphasized that the aviation industry has rapidly grown thanks to the legal arrangements introduced since 2003. The industry continues to improve with the increasing infrastructure and fleet investments, increasing number of connections and price arrangements in flight tickets.

While some 65,000 people were employed in the industry in 2003, this figure reached 205,000 last year. The industry's turnover also skyrocketed to TL 110 billion in 2018.

At the end of last year, there were 515 aircraft, 200 air taxis, 367 general aviation vehicles, 260 balloons and 62 agricultural protection aircraft in the civil aviation industry, amounting to 1,404 vehicles.