Türkiye's flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) aims to become one of the top 100 most valuable brands worldwide, making it the first Turkish firm and potentially the first airline to do so, according to its chief executive.
The carrier aims to prioritize value-driven growth alongside volume-driven growth to reach this goal, CEO Ahmet Olmuştur, who earlier this year assumed the role, told Anadolu Agency (AA).
Building brand value is a unique endeavor for each firm and is seen as a long-term process.
"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 in the recently published interview.
The carrier held the title of Türkiye’s most valuable brand for nine consecutive years, reaching a record valuation of $2.9 billion last year, and the airline invested in product diversification to elevate its global standing to extend its success at home to the rest of the globe with the upcoming launch of a Premium Economy class.
"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," Olmuştur said, noting that the airline is targeting 2029 for the widespread rollout of the program as efforts are underway to reassess its fleet.
In addition to cabin upgrades to accommodate the new package, Turkish Airlines initiated a tender process in July to acquire regional aircraft, with integration expected to be 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.
Plans are underway to increase the number of long-range high-capacity aircraft with a focus on models boasting 400 seats.
The carrier already boasts the world’s highest operational efficiency for its Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleets in 2025-2026.
One of Turkish Airlines’ Airbus A350s, named TC-LGP, logged an industry-leading average of 17 hours and 20 minutes of daily flight duration last year.
"We aim to ensure the effective use of our aircraft by maintaining the highest standards of safety, maintenance, and operational requirements," he noted.
Olmuştur stated that route expansion efforts continue to drive the flag carrier’s market share as the airline attracted 1.2 million first-timers over the past year, while its footprint in Asia grew with new flights to Chengdu, China, set to launch on Nov. 11, complementing its existing schedules of 14 weekly flights each to Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
He also mentioned that flights to the Belarusian capital of Minsk will resume on Sept. 20.
Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines is also expanding its logistics efforts with redirecting its cargo capacity toward high-demand markets with limited supply to maximize revenue.
"We’re closely monitoring the price balance in the market, allowing us to use our capacity more efficiently and generate further revenues," he noted.
Olmuştur stated that technological integration remains a priority at Turkish Airlines, with the flag carrier’s TK Assistant, an application powered by artificial intelligence, handling over 2 million passenger inquiries in over 100 languages in its first seven months since rollout.
He mentioned that Turkish Airlines, as the carrier flying to most countries worldwide, aims to capture a broader share of the tourism market with its dedicated platform, Turkish Airlines Holidays, beginning by awarding additional status miles on travel packages starting as of Sept. 1.
These efforts aim to further bolster the Miles&Smiles loyalty program, which recently exceeded 25 million members.
"The program reached a scale that can no longer be described as a simple frequent-flyer program," he said.
"We gathered at the IGA Istanbul Airport with 100 of our passengers who have flown the most consistently since the program launched and have forged very strong bonds with our brand over the years."
Olmuştur added that he began his career at a Turkish Airlines call center in 2000, noting that capturing employee insights is one of the brand’s priorities to make continuous improvements.
