Turkish Airlines Air Cargo Profile

Turkish Cargo is the air freight brand of Turkish Airlines, the national flag carrier of Turkey, which was founded in 1933 and carries the IATA code TK and ICAO code THY. Turkish Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance, which it joined in 2008, and it is majority influenced by the Turkish state through the Turkey Wealth Fund, which holds roughly 49 percent of its shares, with the remainder publicly traded. Turkish Cargo has grown into one of the fastest-expanding cargo operations in the industry, combining dedicated freighter services with lower-deck belly capacity across the airline's large passenger network.

In 2024 Turkish Cargo ranked as the third-largest air cargo carrier in the world by freight tonne-kilometres, trailing only Qatar Airways Cargo and Emirates SkyCargo, with a global market share of roughly 5 to 6 percent. Its main operating base is the SMARTIST cargo terminal at Istanbul Airport (IST), a highly automated facility opened in 2022 with an initial annual handling capacity of around 2.2 million tonnes. Turkish Cargo leverages Istanbul's geographic position between Europe, Asia and Africa to move freight across three continents, reaching hundreds of destinations in more than 130 countries.

The dedicated freighter fleet numbers around 21 aircraft, built mainly around the Boeing 777F, of which about 11 are in service, and the Airbus A330-200F, of which roughly 10 operate. Turkish Cargo has placed orders for additional Boeing 777 freighters and for Airbus A350F freighters as part of a plan to grow the fleet significantly over the coming years. Beyond dedicated freighters, a large share of volume moves in the bellies of the passenger fleet, which exceeds 500 aircraft including Boeing 777s, 787s and Airbus A350s, giving Turkish Cargo broad reach on long-haul lanes.