Turkish Airlines (THY) on Wednesday reported the highest occupancy rate ever recorded for the month of May, as its passenger count rose despite challenges amid the Middle East conflict.
National flag carrier served 7.9 million passengers last month, a 3.7% increase from a year ago, it said in a statement.
It achieved an 84% load factor, the highest ever May rate that marked a 2.9% year-over-year rise.
The airline increased its capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), by 2.5% compared with the same month a year earlier.
International load factor stood at 84%, while domestic flights recorded a load factor of 84.4%.
Total available seat kilometers rose to 23.2 billion in May from 22.6 billion a year earlier. Cargo and mail volumes increased 8.6% year-over-year to 203,100 tons.
From January through May, THY carried 36.4 million passengers, up 7.3% from the same period last year.
Overall passenger load factor for the five-month period reached 83.6%, with international routes posting 83.5% and domestic routes 84.3%.
Capacity during the five-month period increased 6.5% year-over-year to 112.1 billion available seat kilometers from 105.3 billion.
Cargo and mail traffic rose 13.5% to 954,600 tons during the period.
Its fleet included 542 planes as of the end of May, a figure is aimed to be expanded to 800 aircraft under the company’s 2033 strategy.
THY’s Chair of Board Murat Şeker said on Monday the airline plans to add ultra-long-range aircraft from late 2027 that would enable nonstop services to destinations in Australia and South America.
The carrier has orders in place for nearly 420 aircraft, including Airbus and Boeing jets, with negotiations continuing for an additional 100 Boeing planes.
Global airlines are grappling with higher fuel costs driven by the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran, which has choked jet fuel supplies and disrupted key air corridors, forcing costly detours.
But Şeker said THY has not faced fuel supply challenges and has been less affected than some Asian markets.
The Iran conflict has upended traffic flows through Middle Eastern hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, creating acute challenges for Gulf carriers including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad.
Disruptions provided THY with an opportunity to attract new passengers from South Asia, the Far East, the Maldives, Seychelles and North America.
But, Şeker said "only time will tell whether this turns into a real and lasting opportunity in the long term," noting that major Gulf carriers have largely restored their pre-crisis capacity levels.
THY had budgeted for capacity growth of 7%-8% this year but Şeker said it now expects expansion of only 1%-2%.
