Turkish Airlines reaches two milestones – the most countries served by any airline and its 200th aircraft

Over much of the past decade, Turkish Airlines has been a rising star in global aviation and continues to expand and rejuvenate its fleet. The airline has now reached its goal of operating a fleet of 200 aircraft.

This will give Turkish Airlines, Europe’s youngest and most modern fleet as it works towards its goal of having the largest global network of an airline. It is presently the world’s fifth largest airline and with the addition of the 200th aircraft, the airline continues to strengthen its position.

The arrival of this aircraft, and the progress that it represents, acknowledged with a ceremony at the Turkish Technic new hangar at Atatürk Airport on Tuesday, November 13, 2012. Those in attendance will include Turkish Airlines Chairman Hamdi Topcu, and General Manager Temel Kotil, Ph.D., as well as Turkish Airlines' senior managers, employees and media representatives.

Speaking at the ceremony, Turkish Airlines Chairman Hamdi Topcu said, "As a company, we continue to achieve our goals one at a time. We first celebrated the arrival of our 100th aircraft and now we have reached our next goal of 200 aircraft in the fleet. Our next goal, as we continue to expand, is 300. When we began our expansion in 2003, there were only 54 aircrafts in the fleet and we flew to 103 destinations. That number is now 205 cities in 90 countries. The fleet in 2003 required only 651 pilots and 1579 cabin attendant. Those staff numbers now have grown to 2445 cockpit and 5344 cabin attendant.” He noted that “All of these are signs of a growing Turkish Airlines.”

Additionally, he said that, "The global economic crisis has shrunk in the aviation sector. Many companies went bankrupt. Previously independent flag carriers have partnered with other companies to survive in an increasingly complex global environment. However, during this period, , Turkish Airlines has stood alone and continued to grow. We will continue to expand and grow from within.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Turkish Airlines’ General Manager Temel Kotil, Ph.D. remarked that ‘’We now fly to 90 different countries around the globe. While it seemed like a dream to many, I have anticipated this achievement for some years now and announced our intentions at the IATA AGM some years ago.’’

He said that “I am more optimistic on our 2023 goal becoming the world’s largest airline network. We intend to become a 5-star airline and the leading carrier in our region, home to 1.5 billion people.”

Following the ceremony, the Boeing 737-900, parked in front of the hangar and with a special sticker “200”, entered line service and began its job of carrying passengers