Turkish Airlines tightens focus in response to Iran war

• Africa and Middle East flights cut
• Passengers down just 2%
• Summer tourism will help

Despite rising costs and some disruptions, Turkey’s national flag carrier has avoided most of the problems arising from the US-Israeli war with Iran that have affected much of the international aviation industry.

Turkish Airlines, 49 percent owned by the country’s sovereign wealth fund, has used the conflict to rationalise certain routes in its extensive African network and instead prioritise European and Asian destinations from Istanbul.

The airline carried 4.7 million international passengers in April, down just 2 percent on the same month in 2025, while April’s domestic traffic fell by 6 percent to 2.5 million, according to data issued earlier this week.

Shares in Turk Hava Yollari, Turkish Airlines’ parent company listed on the Istanbul stock exchange, are up 12 percent in the year year to date against a rise in the blue chip BIST 100 of 30 percent.

A decline in passengers on its Middle Eastern routes and closure of all of its Iranian destinations was offset by a rise of nearly a quarter in occupied seats to and from Asian destinations and an uptick in European routes. The flag carrier operated 531 aircraft in March.

While there has been some reduction in traffic at Turkish Airlines’ base Istanbul Airport, it has remained busy, according to Selahattin Bilgen, chief executive of IGA Istanbul, which manages it.

Having targeted an 8 percent increase in passenger numbers for the first quarter, footfall rose by 5.5 percent in the first three months of the year, he told state news service Anadolu Ajansı.

“The effects of the war can’t be denied, but on the other hand we see that this period has emphasised the perception of ‘safe harbour’ for both IGA Istanbul Airport and Turkey,” Bilgen said.

Those effects may be receding somewhat. Turkish Airlines is set to resume services to the Iraqi capital Baghdad later this week after a two-month layoff, according to Iraqi aviation officials. This follows a measured return to Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

However, the carrier has also been scaling back some of its other routes. Earlier this month it suspended flights to 10 destinations in Africa, mainly in sub-Saharan countries, and another five in the Middle East and central Asia, on top of the five already halted in Iran.

The carrier’s European network is little affected, with just two routes axed, while its push into north, south and central America has slowed slightly. Only Havana in Cuba has been removed from the booking list, leaving 22 cities still serviced.

With the exception of Iran, the cuts in services were a result of spiralling costs and lower occupancy rates, with fuel expenses reducing the viability of the axed routes.

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Aviation writer Musa Alioğlu told AGBI that the Turkish government’s approach to the war has also helped: “Turkey’s clear and neutral political stance during this period has strengthened Turkish Airlines’ hand and will be a key factor in helping it weather the crisis with minimal losses.”

The summer peak tourism season should also help, said Alioğlu.

He said that jet fuel shortages and rising prices following the US and Israeli attack on Iran naturally affected Turkish Airlines, like all other airlines, but added that “holiday traffic will lead to a significant increase in both domestic and international flights, and Turkish Airlines will achieve an increase in passenger numbers, especially on routes where it has no competition.”

But Alioğlu sounded a note of warning: “Of course, this is assuming that attacks by the US and Israel that would disrupt air travel do not resume. Everything depends on the course of the war.”