On 1 April 2008, Turkish Airlines joined the alliance after a 15-month integration process beginning in December 2006, becoming its 20th member. EgyptAir, Egypt's national airline and Star Alliance's second African carrier, joined on 11 July 2008. On 27 October 2009, Continental Airlines became the 25th member of Star Alliance after leaving SkyTeam three days earlier. According to alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht, "Bringing Continental Airlines into Star Alliance has been a truly unique experience. This is the first time an airline has moved directly from one alliance to another and I would like to thank all those involved in ensuring a smooth switch".
2008–2010: Second decade of operations
Star Alliance
Star Alliance | 2008–2010: Second decade of operations
Yes, from December 2006. Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context. Yes, on 1 April 2008, Turkish Airlines joined the alliance. Yes, it joined on 1 April 2008.
is turkish airlines a member of the star alliance
user
On 1 April 2008, Turkish Airlines joined the alliance after a 15-month integration process beginning in December 2006, becoming its 20th member. EgyptAir, Egypt's national airline and Star Alliance's second African carrier, joined on 11 July 2008. On 27 October 2009, Continental Airlines became the 25th member of Star Alliance after leaving SkyTeam three days earlier. According to alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht, "Bringing Continental Airlines into Star Alliance has been a truly unique experience. This is the first time an airline has moved directly from one alliance to another and I would like to thank all those involved in ensuring a smooth switch".
Star Alliance | 2008–2010: Second decade of operations
At the time, it was rumoured that the switch was Continental's first move in a planned merger with United Airlines. Two months later, Brussels Airlines joined the alliance. Brazilian carrier TAM Airlines joined Star Alliance on 13 May 2010, increasing its foothold in South America. Aegean Airlines, Greece's largest airline by number of passengers, joined on 30 June.
Star Alliance | 2008–2010: Second decade of operations
Istanbul Airport in Arnavutkoy is the airline's main base, and there are secondary hubs at Ankara Esenboğa Airport and İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport. Turkish Airlines has been a member of the Star Alliance network since 1 April 2008.
Turkish Airlines | Introduction
A new terminal opened in January 2000 at Istanbul's Istanbul Atatürk Airport. Turkish Airlines continued to extend their international reach, forging marketing agreements with Asiana Airlines, American Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Czech Airlines and Cathay Pacific in 2000. On October 29, 2000, THY withdrew from the Swissair-led Qualiflyer alliance to help attract a strategic investor for their privatization. The airline had been part of the alliance's frequent-flyer program since November 1998. An Antalya-Frankfurt route was added in 2001 through a code-sharing agreement with Sun Express. Turkey underwent an economic crisis throughout most of 2001, leading to a reduction in traffic on domestic routes in particular.
Turkish Airlines | 2000s and 2010s
Since 2011, the alliance has gained several large members but has lost others due to collapse or mergers. On 13 December 2011, Ethiopian Airlines joined, adding five countries and 24 destinations to the alliance's map. Star Alliance saw a tumultuous 2012–13, starting with two key departures but ending with a major move into Latin America. In Europe, Spanair ceased operations, and BMI left after being acquired by International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of Oneworld members Iberia and British Airways. BMI was integrated into British Airways. In North America, Continental merged with United Airlines, reducing Star's membership further, even if it effectively stayed in the alliance after the merger.
Star Alliance | 2011–present: further expansion and stability
"Miles&Smiles" is the frequent-flyer programme of Turkish Airlines, inaugurated in 2000 after the airline left Qualiflyer. Earned miles can be used on Turkish Airlines flights, as well as on flights operated by the entire Star Alliance network. Miles&Smiles Classic Plus members are entitled to Star Alliance Silver benefits, while Elite and Elite Plus Miles&Smiles status entitles the member to Star Alliance Gold benefits.
Turkish Airlines | Frequent-flyer programme
During the early 2000s, a number of airlines joined Star Alliance; the Austrian Airlines Group (Austrian Airlines, Tyrolean Airways and Lauda Air) joined on 26 March 2000 and Singapore Airlines on 1 April. BMI (British Midland) and Mexicana joined on 1 July, bringing the alliance's membership to 13. The addition of BMI made London Heathrow the only European hub with two alliances. During the year, Emirates considered joining Star Alliance, but decided against it. That year the now-defunct BWIA West Indies Airways, which had entered an alliance with United Airlines, considered becoming a member but did not. In 2000, the alliance also opened its first three business centers (in Los Angeles, Frankfurt, and Bangkok) and announced the formation of an Alliance Management Team (AMT), the partnership's executive body.
Star Alliance | 2000–2006: Expansion
The Aegean brand would cease to exist after the transition period. It was expected that the merger would be finalised and the combined airline would begin operation by October 2010. Aegean joined Star Alliance at the end of June 2010. The intent was for the merged carrier to be a Star Alliance member, despite the fact that Olympic Air was forging ties with SkyTeam pre-merger. Star Alliance welcomed the proposed merger, releasing a statement stating "The integration teams from both sides will soon meet to assess the necessary steps, in order to guarantee a smooth transition of the merged Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air operations into the Star Alliance network".
Aegean Airlines | Cooperation
Although Star Alliance invited Lineas Aereas Azteca in 2005 to join in mid-2007, the airline filed for bankruptcy. TAP Air Portugal joined on 14 March 2005, adding African destinations to the network. In April 2006 Swiss International Air Lines, the alliance's sixth European airline, and South African Airways (its first African carrier) became the 17th and 18th members.
Star Alliance | 2000–2006: Expansion
By May 2007, Star Alliance's 10th anniversary, its members had a combined 16,000 daily departures to 855 destinations in 155 countries and served 406 million passengers annually. The alliance introduced Biosphere Connections, a partnership with UNESCO, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands to promote environmental sustainability. VARIG left the alliance on 31 January 2007, and the two Chinese airlines, Air China and Shanghai Airlines joined on 12 December.
Star Alliance | 2007: First decade
On 21 June, though, Avianca, TACA Airlines and Copa Airlines joined, massively increasing the alliance's Latin American presence. In November, Blue1 left after becoming an affiliate of parent Scandinavian Airlines. and Shenzhen Airlines joined, augmenting Air China's Chinese network. Taiwanese carrier EVA Air then joined on 18 June 2013, and after TACA's integration into Avianca, the alliance grew to 28 members, making it the largest of the three major airline alliances. On 13 December, Air India was again invited to begin an integration process with Star Alliance and joined the alliance on 3 July 2014. Following this string of expansions, 2014 opened with two major departures through mergers.
Star Alliance | 2011–present: further expansion and stability
Codeshare flights of Star Alliance airlines are consistent. This cooperation led to suspicions of anti-competitive behaviour; the alliance was suspected by the European Union of being a virtual merger of its members, and speculation existed that if government regulations were relaxed the members would merge into one corporation. Star Alliance developed a "regional" concept in 2004, which helped it penetrate markets with participation by smaller regional carriers. Regional Star Alliance members had to be sponsored by an alliance member. The alliance no longer designates airlines as "regional" members, now referring to its 27 airlines as "members". In 2007, alliance members flew 18,521 daily flights to 1,321 airports in 193 countries with a fleet of 4,025 aircraft.
Star Alliance | Customer service
The accident aircraft was an Airbus A320-200, registration TC-JPE, named "Gümüşhane". The aircraft's manufacturer's serial number was 2941. It had first flown on 18 October 2006 and was repainted into the Star Alliance livery in 2014. The aircraft was subsequently written off.
Turkish Airlines Flight 1878 | Aircraft
The Turkish Stars () are the aerobatic demonstration team of the Turkish Air Force and the national aerobatics team of Turkey. The team was formed on November 7, 1992 and was named the Turkish Stars on January 11, 1993. Turkish Stars fly with eight Canadair NF-5 fighter planes obtained from the Royal Netherlands Air Force, making them one of few national aerobatics teams to fly supersonic aircraft. Twelve NF-5 fighter planes are available to the team. The team uses CASA/IPTN CN-235, C-130 and C-160 support aircraft in Turkish Stars colours. The team is stationed at the Konya Air Base of 3rd Main Jet Base Group Command.
Turkish Stars | Introduction
Star ("Star Gazetesi") was a high-circulation Turkish newspaper. It was established in 1999 by Star Media Group, drawing on the brand of the group's Star TV channel. At the end of 2019, the newspaper ceased its print publication, announcing it would continue news coverage online. In 2004 "Star" was seized by the Turkish government, along with the other assets of the Uzan Group (which owned the Star Media Group). The paper was transferred to the TMSF, and then sold to Ali Özmen Safa in 2006. Ethem Sancak became the sole owner in 2008, having previously become a part-owner with Safa and Hasan Doğan.
Star (Turkish newspaper) | Introduction
First, Brazilian carrier TAM Airlines merged with LAN Airlines to become LATAM Airlines Group, leaving the alliance without a presence in the world's fifth-largest country. Next, US Airways completed its merger with American Airlines and also left the alliance. Both parent companies stayed with Oneworld. On 24 June, though, the alliance finally approved Air India which joined on 11 July, leaving the alliance at 27 members, where it stands today.
Star Alliance | 2011–present: further expansion and stability
THY managed to survive after the September 11 attacks on the United States without a government bailout or mass layoffs, although 300 middle management positions were eliminated, 400 part-timers were laid off and wages were cut 10 percent. Turkish Daily News credited the airline's survival to entrepreneurial management, which was quick to get rid of loss-making routes at home and abroad. In 2003, the war in Iraq prompted Turkish Airlines to close some routes in the Persian Gulf, while flights to Asia were suspended during the SARS epidemic. However, the airline soon recovered, increasing traffic on existing routes and adding service to Delhi after an 11-year lapse.
Turkish Airlines | 2000s and 2010s
JACDEC's methodology has been criticized within the airline evaluation industry as unreliable and not transparent. The inaccuracy of the company's indexing has been debated after a list was issued for the German Newspaper Bild's web site after the crash of Air France Flight 447, displaying the safety index of world's 60 biggest airlines. The list which was possibly wrongly computed unfairly included Turkish Airlines as the list's 60th, and least safe airline, which is indeed a Star Alliance member. Starting year for the list was precisely chosen as 1973, some 36 years back, including a Turkish Airlines jet that had crashed in 1974 and a time when most of the airlines that are listed did not even exist, such as JetBlue Airways which was founded in 1999 and other regional companies with less flight frequency.
JACDEC | Controversies
On 13 March 2012, one of the team's NF-5 fighter planes crashed during a training session in Konya Province from the airbase where the team is stationed. Pilot Flight lieutenant Ümit Özer, who had joined the Turkish Stars shortly before, died in the crash.
Turkish Stars | Incidents
In 2000 two more Airbus planes arrived and an automated ticketing system was inaugurated. In 2001 the airline received maintenance and technical performing certificates from the German aviation authority Luftfahrt-Bundesamt. On 18 November 2004, Croatia Airlines joined Star Alliance. By March 2009, the airline retired its fleet of three ATR 42 short-haul aircraft, after operating the type since 1993, and replaced it with a fleet of six Bombardier Dash 8 Q400s, the first of which was delivered in May 2008. Airbus and Croatia Airlines announced on 22 October 2008 the order of four additional 132-seat A319 aircraft, to be delivered from 2013.
Croatia Airlines | Development since 2000
In September 2001, Ansett Australia (the alliance's only Australian member) left Star Alliance due to bankruptcy, giving most of the Australian market to Qantas (a Oneworld member). That year, Star Alliance announced the appointment of a new CEO, Jaan Albrecht. Asiana Airlines joined the alliance on 1 March 2003, Spanair on 1 May, and LOT Polish Airlines (Poland's flag carrier) in October. Around this time, Mexicana Airlines left the alliance after deciding not to renew a codeshare agreement with United Airlines, later joining Oneworld. US Airways joined the alliance in May 2004, becoming its second US-based airline. In November Adria Airways, Blue1 and Croatia Airlines joined the alliance as its first three regional members.
Star Alliance | 2000–2006: Expansion
In October 2007, the Chief Executive Board of Star Alliance voted to accept EgyptAir as a future member, the first airline from an Arab country and the second African one – after South African Airways – to join the airline alliance. In a ceremony held at Cairo International Airport on 11 July 2008, the carrier became the member of this alliance, nine months after it started the joining process.
EgyptAir | Alliances
In 2009, Aegean Airlines started codeshare agreements with BMI, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa and TAP Air Portugal. On 26 May 2009, the Aegean Airlines' membership application was approved by the Chief Executive Board of Star Alliance. Aegean joined the alliance on 30 June 2010. In February 2010, initial shareholder discussions took place to consider co-operation between Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air fueling rumours of a possible merger. On 22 February 2010, Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines announced that they agreed to a merger. The newly merged airline was to carry the Olympic brand name and logo, after a transition period in which both airline brands would be used in parallel.
Aegean Airlines | Cooperation
On June 7, 2010 Star Airways commenced operations using two McDonnell Douglas MD-82 jetliners provided by ItAli Airlines as it had not received approval to operate with its own aircraft. With scheduled flights from Tirana to several Italian cities, there were plans to expand routes to other cities such as Istanbul, Antalya, Thessaloniki and Düsseldorf. However, in the summer of 2010, the Albanian aviation authority withdrew its operating license and all flight operations were stopped completely in September of that year.
Star Airways | History
Turkish Airlines was established on 20 May 1933 as "Turkish State Airlines" (Turkish: "Devlet Hava Yolları") as a department of the Ministry of National Defense. The airline's initial fleet consisted of two five-seat Curtiss Kingbirds, two four-seat Junkers F 13s and one ten-seat Tupolev ANT-9. In 1935, the airline was turned over to the Ministry of Public Works and was subsequently renamed "General Directorate of State Airlines". Three years later, in 1938, it became part of the Ministry of Transportation.
Turkish Airlines | Early years
On 29 August 2012, Aerolíneas Argentinas became the first South American and the second Latin American airline in joining the alliance, bringing the number of members to 18. Following its incorporation on 21 November 2012, Xiamen Airlines became the fourth member in Mainland China, with the overall number of members in the alliance rising to 19. In late , the Russian newspaper "Kommersant" published an article that mentions that Aeroflot was considering leaving the alliance over disagreements with Delta on the pricing on some routes to North America. The report also mentioned that the Russian carrier was considering joining Star Alliance.
SkyTeam | 2011–2014: Second major expansion
Airbus equipment such as the A320 and A321 was added to the fleet in the early 1990s, as was the Boeing 747-400 jet. ANA joined the Star Alliance in October 1999. 2004 saw ANA's profits exceed JAL's for the first time. That year, facing a surplus of slots due to the construction of new airports and the ongoing expansion of Tokyo International Airport, ANA announced a fleet renewal plan that would replace some of its large aircraft with a greater number of smaller aircraft.
All Nippon Airways | International era
Star Alliance, founded in 1997, currently has 26 members: Former members:
Airline alliance | Star Alliance
Emirates has collaborated with other airlines but is not a member of any of the three global airline alliances – Oneworld, SkyTeam or Star Alliance. In 2000, the airline briefly considered joining Star Alliance, but opted to remain independent. The reasoning for this was later revealed by senior vice-president of the airline's commercial operations worldwide that, "Your ability to react in the marketplace is hindered because you need a consensus from your alliance partners".
Emirates (airline) | Alliance
Turkey was the only other customer for the Aeritalia F-104S. The initial order was placed in 1974, with the first of 18 examples entering service by December 1974. These first aircraft were a gift from Libya to Turkey during US embargo against 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus. These may have been a reward for good relations and Turkish technical assistance to improve the capabilities of the Libyan Air Force. Another 18 were ordered in May 1975, which eventually increased to 40 aircraft, but another batch (for 20 aircraft) was dropped, probably because F-4E's were delivered as well. They served with 142 and 182 Filo from the 1970s, and around a dozen were still in service until the mid-1990s.
Aeritalia F-104S Starfighter | Turkish service
The now defunct Brazilian airline VARIG joined the Star Alliance network on 22 October 1997, extending the alliance into South America. Also joining were Ansett Australia and Air New Zealand, expanding Star Alliance to Australia and the Pacific. With the addition of the latter two carriers, the alliance served 720 destinations in 110 countries with a combined fleet of 1,650 aircraft. The next airline to join was All Nippon Airways (ANA), the group's second Asian airline, on 15 October 1999.
Star Alliance | Additions
In order to assess the benefits of the SkyTeam membership, a study was carried out in ; following it, the Aeroflot board reaffirmed its position within the alliance in . Garuda Indonesia became the 20th member of the alliance on 5 March 2014. Garuda initially expected to gain SkyTeam membership in 2012, but the joining process took months to be completed. In November 2018, China Southern Airlines announced that it would leave the alliance effective . On 4 November 2019, Air Europa announced their plans to depart from SkyTeam due to a buyout from IAG.
SkyTeam | 2011–2014: Second major expansion
It is now again part of the Star Media Group, which was acquired by Fettah Tamince and Tevhit Karakaya in 2009/10. "Star"'s columnists included Şamil Tayyar.
Star (Turkish newspaper) | Introduction
On 10 November 2010, Star Alliance announced that Avianca (and its merger counterpart, TACA) were full members in 2012. Due to Avianca's entry into Star Alliance, it ended its codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines and began a new codeshare agreement with United Airlines. TACA had been codesharing with United Airlines since 2006. On 21 June 2012, Avianca and TACA were both officially admitted into Star Alliance.
Avianca | Star Alliance
Turkish Airlines (Turkish: "Türk Hava Yolları") is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey. , it operates scheduled services to 315 destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, making it the largest mainline carrier in the world by number of passenger destinations. The airline serves more destinations non-stop from a single airport than any other airline in the world, and flies to 126 countries, more than any other airline. With an operational fleet of 24 cargo aircraft, the airline's cargo division serves 82 destinations. The airline's corporate headquarters are at the Turkish Airlines General Management Building on the grounds of Istanbul Atatürk Airport in Yeşilköy, Bakırköy, Istanbul.
Turkish Airlines | Introduction
On 14 May 1997, an agreement was announced forming Star Alliance from five airlines on three continents: United Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways, Air Canada, and Lufthansa. The alliance chose Young & Rubicam for advertising, with a budget of $25 million (€18 million). The airlines shared the star logo from the beginning, with its five points representing the founding airlines. The alliance adopted its first slogan, "The Airline Network for Earth", with its goal "an alliance that will take passengers to every major city on earth".
Star Alliance | 1997–1999: First alliance
Several Douglas DC-3s and Douglas C-47s were phased in during 1945. Being initially set up as a domestic carrier, the airline commenced international services with the inauguration of Ankara–Istanbul–Athens flights in 1947; with the DC-3s and C-47s enabling the carrier to expand its network. Nicosia, Beirut and Cairo were soon added to the airline's international flight destinations. However, domestic services remained the carrier's primary focus until the early 1960s. In 1956, the Turkish government reorganized the airline under the name "Türk Hava Yolları A.O." (often abbreviated as THY). It was capitalized at TRY 60 million. The airline joined the International Air Transport Association (IATA) shortly thereafter.
Turkish Airlines | Postwar period
Security was intensified, causing one shipper to compare it to Israel's El Al, at least in terms of delays. THY built a new, state-of-the-art technical center at Yeşilköy Airport in 1984. The airline was capable of both light and heavy maintenance on many different aircraft types. The technical staff then made up one-quarter of the airline's 6,000 employees, according to Air Transport World. In 1984, the company's capital was raised to 60 billion TL as it was classified as a state economic enterprise. Three years later, the capital was raised again, to 150 billion TL.
Turkish Airlines | 1980s and 1990s
Star Airways was an airline based in Tirana, Albania. It was founded by several Albanian and Italian investors and obtained its operating license in June 2009. On April 3, 2010 Star Airways received its first aircraft, an Airbus A320. Its second A320 arrived in May of the same year. The airline ceased all operations in September 2010.
Star Airways | Introduction
Current squadron leader Major Esra Özatay assumed the role on 8 September 2016. She is the first and only female pilot to hold this position in the Turkish Air Force.
Turkish Stars | Leadership
On November 10, 2010, Star Alliance announced that Avianca and TACA Airlines were to become full members in mid-2012.
Avianca El Salvador | Star Alliance (2010–12)
On July 11, 2002 Turkey became a Level 3 partner of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) development program, and on January 25, 2007, Turkey officially joined the production phase of the JSF program, agreeing to initially purchase 116 F-35A Lightning II aircraft. Turkey also has a national fifth generation fighter aircraft project named the TAI TFX. On 28 March 2013, the Turkish Secretary of the Defence Industry of the Ministry of National Defence of Turkey Murat Bayar announced intentions to replace the F-16 fighter with domestically produced fighters by 2023.
Turkish Air Force | Future of the Turkish Air Force
Later in 2011, on 28 September, China Airlines joined the alliance. In the same year, Xiamen Airlines committed to be incorporated as a full member by the end of 2012, with their entry supported by China Southern Airlines. On 29 May 2012, Saudi Arabian Airlines became both the first carrier in joining the alliance in 2012 and the first one based in the Middle East, which brought the total members to 16. The same day of its incorporation, Saudi Arabian Airlines was renamed to Saudia. Middle East Airlines became the 17th member of the alliance a month later, following its incorporation on 28 June 2012.
SkyTeam | 2011–2014: Second major expansion
Star Alliance is the world's largest global airline alliance. Founded on 14 May 1997, its current CEO is Jeffrey Goh and its headquarters is located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. , Star Alliance is the largest of the three global alliances by passenger count with 762.27 million, ahead of both SkyTeam (630 million) and Oneworld (528 million). Its slogan is "The Way the Earth Connects". Star Alliance's 26 member airlines operate a fleet of approximately 5,033 aircraft, serving more than 1,290 airports in 195 countries on more than 19,000 daily departures. The alliance has a two-tier rewards program, Silver and Gold, with incentives including priority boarding and upgrades.
Star Alliance | Introduction
By March 2011, Air India had accumulated a debt of and an operating loss of , and was seeking from the government. A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General blamed the decision to buy 111 new aircraft and the ill-timed merger with Indian Airlines for the poor financial situation. In August 2011, the invitation to join Star Alliance was suspended as a result of its failure to meet the minimum standards for the membership. The government pumped into Air India in March 2012. On 1 March 2009, Air India made Frankfurt Airport its international hub for onward connections to the United States from India.
Air India | Indian Airlines merger
The South African government's plans called for the separation of South African Airways and its parent company Transnet. The deadline was moved from 2005 to 31 March 2006. SAA joined Star Alliance on 10 April 2006, becoming the first African airline to join Star Alliance. To celebrate the occasion, and as a condition of entry, one Airbus A340-600 (registration ZS-SNC) and one Boeing 737-800 (registration ZS-SJV) were repainted in Star Alliance livery. South African Airways fulfilled 53 requirements during the accession process. In May 2007, SAA launched an 18-month comprehensive restructuring programme which aimed to make the airline profitable. According to then-CEO Khaya Ngqula, this came largely after "uncompetitive ownership and aircraft lease costs, excessive head count and fuel price volatility".
South African Airways | Restructuring and Star Alliance: 2006–2011
Turkish Airlines won the Skytrax awards for "Europe's Best Airline", "Southern Europe's Best Airline", and the "World's Best Premium Economy Class Airline Seat" for three consecutive years in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and retained its status as "Europe's Best Airline" in 2014, 2015 and 2016, thereby holding the title for six years in a row. Additionally, Turkish Airlines was selected the "Airline of the Year" by Air Transport News at the 2013 Air Transport News Awards Ceremony. In November 2017, Turkish Airlines was recognized as "The World's 16th Best Airline For Business Travel" by the CEOWORLD magazine. In June 2018, the airline announced that it would no longer be participating in the Skytrax World Airline Audit.
Turkish Airlines | Awards
Turkuaz Airlines operated an extensive programme of charter flights on behalf of various tour operators. They also supplied aircraft for lease to other airlines. Their international destinations were to Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, Israel, Germany, and the Netherlands. Their domestic destinations from Ankara were to Istanbul, Izmir, and Kayseri. Turkish Civil Aviation Authorities (SHGM) revoked the AOC (Airline Operating Certificate) for 90 days after an inspection of the company.
Turkuaz Airlines | Operations
On 3 December 2007, the provincial council of Isparta decided to erect a mausoleum near the crash site to honour the victims. In February 2008, World Focus Airlines changed its corporate image to "Ankair" as a result of publicity surrounding the crash. Its operating license was suspended by Turkish authorities a short time later. In October 2011, the head of the investigation team, Feridun Seren, was arrested along with six other defendants in connection with the disputed 2009 Medair Bell 206 crash which killed BBP leader Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu – in whose investigation he was also involved – on grounds of allowing the flight recorders to be tampered with, obscuring evidence and creating bogus protocols.
Atlasjet Flight 4203 | Aftermath
In 1987 Turkey received its first F-16 Fighting Falcon under the 'Peace Onyx-1' deal, further examples have been locally produced through Turkish Aerospace Industries. Other modern platforms that have entered service is the Boeing 737 Peace Eagle for Airborne early warning and control, the Airbus A400M Atlas for strategic airlift, the KC-135 Stratotanker for aerial refueling, and a host of other helicopters and trainers. Turkey placed an order for 30 F-35 Lightning II's with four delivered to Luke Air Force Base, and then had the order cancelled due to the country's acquisition of the S-400 SAM systems from Russia.
List of active aircraft of the Turkish Air Force | Introduction
Star Media Group ("Star Medya Grubu", STAR Medya Yayıncılık A.Ş.) is a Turkish media company. Among other properties it owns the "Star" newspaper and the television station Kanal 24. The company was co-founded by Ahmet Özal and Cem Uzan and was previously part of the Uzan Group. In 2004 "Star" was seized by the Turkish government, along with the other assets of the Uzan Group. The paper was transferred to the TMSF, and then sold several times. It is now again part of the Star Media Group, which was acquired by Fettah Tamince of Rixos from Ethem Sancak in 2009, with Tevhit Karakaya acquiring 50% in 2010.
Star Media Group (Turkey) | Introduction
On 10 January 2011, Saudi Arabian Airlines signed an agreement to join SkyTeam in 2012. On 28 February the same year, Middle East Airlines agreed to join the alliance. Member airlines Delta and Air France-KLM appointed Goldman Sachs in late to advise them on a potential bid for Sir Richard Branson's 51% stake in Virgin Atlantic, which could lead to the airline joining SkyTeam and would sharply increase the alliance's footprint in London. Rivals Star Alliance and Etihad Airlines are also investigating competing options with regard to Virgin Atlantic. China Eastern Airlines joined the alliance on 21 June 2011, along with its subsidiary, Shanghai Airlines, to become the 14th member.
SkyTeam | 2011–2014: Second major expansion
The opening of the STAR oil refinery, owned by the Azerbaijani State Oil Company SOCAR, was held in the Turkish city of Izmir on October 19, 2018. The foundation of STAR was laid on October 25, 2011 with the participation of Azerbaijani and Turkish Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The consortium consisting of “Técnicas Reunidas” (Spain), “Saipem” (Italy), “GS Engineering & Construction Corp” (South Korea) and “Itochu” (Japan) has built this plant.
Azerbaijan–Turkey relations | STAR
The airline was plagued by several issues in the 1980s and 90s. It developed a reputation for poor customer service and delays. It also endured hijackings and suffered seven accidents between 1974 and 1983. The most notorious was the 1974 crash of Turkish Airlines Flight 981, when an aircraft design flaw led to a faulty cargo door breaking off in flight near Ermenonville, France, resulting in the deaths of 346 people. A new government came to power in 1983 which recognized THY's importance as Turkey's gateway to the world, beginning the airline's makeover into a modern operation. It would go on to maintain one of the youngest fleets in the world.
Turkish Airlines | 1980s and 1990s
Starline was established late 2005, though flight operations were only launched in May 2007. On 1 April 2009, the airline had its airline license revoked, shortly before all Kazakh airlines but Air Astana were banned from entering EU airspace due to the poor maintenance standards in the country.
Starline.kz | History
In , Ethiopian Airlines' frequent flyer programme "ShebaMiles" and Lufthansa's "Miles & More" entered into partnership, allowing members of each programme to earn and spend miles on both airlines' networks. In , the carrier entered a strategic partnership with Lomé-based start-up airline "ASKY Airlines", in which Ethiopian holds a 40% stake. Ethiopian Airlines is responsible for aircraft maintenance and operational management. The plan is to turn Lomé into Ethiopian Airline's regional hub for the West African market. ASKY started operations in January 2010 and became profitable after a few months. Ethiopian officially joined Star Alliance in .
Ethiopian Airlines | Alliances
In May 2013 50% of the Group was sold to Azerbaijan's SOCAR oil company.
Star Media Group (Turkey) | Introduction
In total, Turkey received over 400 Starfighters from various sources, although many of these aircraft were broken up for spares without having been flown. The F-104 was finally retired from Turkish service in 1995.
List of Lockheed F-104 Starfighter operators | <a href="Taiwan%20%28Republic%20of%20China%29">Taiwan (Republic of China)</a>
On 15 September 2008, it was announced that Lufthansa would acquire a 45% stake in Brussels Airlines with an option to acquire the remaining 55% from 2011. As a part of this deal, Brussels Airlines would join Star Alliance. From 26 October 2008, the ICAO code was changed from "DAT" to "BEL". On 15 June 2009, Brussels Airlines announced that the European Commission had granted approval for Lufthansa to take a minority share in Brussels Airlines. As a result of this clearance by the EU, Brussels Airlines was able to join Star Alliance. Lufthansa purchased 45% of the company in 2009, and acquired the remainder in January 2017.
Brussels Airlines | Early years (2005-2009)
In 1983, the Turkish airline market was liberalized. While before, only public companies were allowed to serve the country's airports, with the enactment of the 1983 Civil Aviation Law, private companies were admitted. As the regulation failed at setting up a competitive environment, the quasi-monopoly of Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines was further reinforced. It was only in 2003, that major barriers for market entry were erased, leading to a more competitive market, though Turkish Airlines continued to benefit from state support. With 61.8 million passengers in 2015, Turkish Airlines today is one of the major airlines of the world, particularly by its number of international passengers.
Aviation in Turkey | Airlines
In 1957, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) began supplying technical support after acquiring a 6.5 percent shareholding, which it held for about 20 years.
Turkish Airlines | Postwar period
, the Turkish Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:
Turkish Airlines | Current fleet
Its members carried a total of 627.52 million passengers, with revenue of US$156.8 billion (€145 billion). It had 28 percent of the global market based on revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), greater than the combined market share of all airlines not in one of the three major alliances. All alliance carriers combined employed over 405,000 pilots, flight attendants, and other staff.
Star Alliance | Customer service
In , following an agreement between Continental Airlines and United Airlines, the former, as well as Copa Airlines, announced their intentions to move to the Star Alliance after Continental's final flight with SkyTeam on 24 October 2009. That day, as announced, Continental Airlines and Copa Airlines simultaneously left SkyTeam. Continental Airlines joined Star Alliance three days later; at the time, it was rumored that the switch was Continental Airlines' initial move in a United-Continental merger. In , the alliance signed a preliminary agreement with Vietnam Airlines for the airline to become a full member in . Also in 2009, Alitalia-Linee Aeree Italiane re-launched operations as the new Alitalia, and the alliance announced initiatives towards a centralized management based in Amsterdam.
SkyTeam | 2008–2009: Departure of airlines and new initiatives
Brussels Airlines is a member of Star Alliance.
Brussels Airlines | Alliances
The key trends for Turkish Airlines for the past 15 years are shown below (as of December 2018):
Turkish Airlines | Business trends
The frequency of scheduled cargo operations increased from weekly three to five days a week between Istanbul and Gatwick via Brussels. In March 2004, a 105-ton payload capacity Boeing 747F-200 freighter jumbo jet joined the fleet servicing between Shanghai and Brussels via Istanbul. It became the biggest aircraft in operation ever in the history of Turkish civil aviation. The aircraft was flown by foreign pilots with special permit of the Turkish government since no Turkish pilot certified to operate a B747 was available. Cargo operations were extended to destinations including Almaty in Kazakhstan, Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, Dhaka in Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Nanjing and Jiangsu in China.
Orbit Express Airlines | History
The brand was created on 23 April 2008 by Turkish Airlines. In March 2020, the brand was reconfigured to apply to the entire Turkish Airlines international route network operating from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, consisting of over 20 routes.
AnadoluJet | History
Edelweiss Air is a subsidiary of Swiss International Air Lines but not a Star Alliance member. SilkAir and Scoot are wholly owned subsidiaries of Singapore Airlines but not Star Alliance members. SilkAir is scheduled to be gradually merged into Singapore Airlines starting from 2020. Scoot is a member of Value Alliance. Eurowings and Eurowings Europe are subsidiaries of Lufthansa but they are not Star Alliance members. Nordica is owned by Polish Aviation Group (owner of LOT Polish Airlines), but is not part of Star Alliance.
Star Alliance | Members and affiliates
In July 2008, the airline was forced to suspend operations after it lost its operating certificate. Turkish aviation regulations require a minimum of three aircraft per carrier to retain an air operator certificate and Ankair only operated two MD-83s.
Ankair | Suspend of Operations
Asiana Airlines has rapidly expanded since its establishment in 1988 to become a mid-sized global carrier with a current fleet of 85 aircraft. In December 1998, the airline operated an aircraft on behalf of the president of South Korea for the first time. The airline was listed in KOSDAQ In December 1999. On 28 January 2003, the airline became a full Star Alliance member, expanding its worldwide network and global brand. In 2004, the airline added Airbus A330s and the Boeing 777-200ERs to its fleet, and expanded its routes into mainland China. Currently it provides international services to 71 cities in 23 countries on 91 routes and domestic services to 12 cities on 14 routes.
Asiana Airlines | Expansion as global carrier and joining Star Alliance
In addition, the airline is interested in the Airbus A220 and Embraer E190/E195 in order to serve new destinations.
Turkish Airlines | Fleet development
Air India became the 27th member of Star Alliance on 11 July 2014.
Air India | Alliance
Thai Airways is a member and one of the 5 founding members of Star Alliance which was founded on 14 May 1997. As of February 2020 Thai Smile is a connecting member for the alliance.
Thai Airways | Alliances
The airline was founded in 1991, originally set up as an Aeroflot division and was formerly part of the Samara-based Aerovolga. It began to make permanent domestic, foreign connections and charter flights to Cairo, Tunis and Barcelona. In October 2006, its licence was revoked by the Russian safety agency FTOA and only returned 2 of their 12 aircraft after demonstrating intense security renovations. It was due to relaunch services in December 2006 following an inspection of one of its Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft in Iran, when the FTOA ruled that safety legislation had been met and services could restart. The restart never happened.
BAL Bashkirian Airlines | History
A fleet renewal started in the early 2000s, with the incorporation of the Boeing 737-700 and the Boeing 767-300ER; The airline discontinued its service to Newark in favour of serving Washington in 2004. In the late 2000s the airline announced it would be the launch customer of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and placed orders to acquire brand new Airbus A350-900s, Boeing 777-200LRs and Bombardier equipment. In late , Ethiopian Airlines was officially invited to join Star Alliance under the mentoring of Lufthansa. The carrier became a member of the alliance in , the third Africa-based carrier in doing so—following EgyptAir and South African Airways—and the 28th member worldwide.
Ethiopian Airlines | 2000onwards
There were 128 passengers and 7 crew members on board (135 people, in total). The flight was under the command of Instructor Captain Hasan Tahsin Arısan, aged 54. A former Turkish Air Force fleet commander, Captain Arısan had been working for Turkish Airlines since 1996 and was one of the most experienced pilots at the airline. He had over 5,000 hours of flight time on the F-4E Phantom II. Olgay Özgür, 28, was the safety pilot of the flight, a graduate of a flight school in Ankara, who flew the MD-80 for World Focus Airlines before joining Turkish Airlines and passing the 737 type rating in 2006; he was sitting in the cockpit's center jump seat.
Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 | Flight
The airline was established in Istanbul in 2010 by Kürşad Arusan (Chairman of the Board), although it took a further two years to get all the required certification from the Turkish aviation authorities. It is part of the Burulas Havacilik Group. It ceased operations in June 2015, citing financial difficulties, most likely driven by a drop in wealthy Russian tourists (source: http://www.todayszaman.com/business_seabird-airlines-sputters-to-a-halt_387464.html)
Seabird Airlines | History
This is a list of defunct airlines of Turkey.
List of defunct airlines of Turkey | Introduction
Akdeniz Airlines was a charter airline from Turkey that operated for a very small period of time during 1995.
Akdeniz Airlines | Introduction
In the third quarter of 2010, Jet Airways became the largest airline in India with a passenger market share of 22.6%. In July 2012, the airline officially sought government approval to join Star Alliance. Jet Airways is not a member of Star Alliance as of 2017. In June 2011, it became the first domestic airline in India to ban meat products and liquids in check-in baggage. Jet Airways merged the JetLite brand into Jet Konnect on 25 March 2012 and started offering business-class seats after the demise of Kingfisher Airlines. In 2013, Etihad Airways planned to buy a stake in the airline following the government's announcement in September 2012 that foreign airlines could take a stake of up to 49% in Indian carriers.
Jet Airways | Consolidation
The airline was established in 2000, a period in which private companies sprang up in Indonesia after the government announced the deregulation of airlines in the country. However, like some other Indonesian airlines (a total of 11 airlines), Star Air's license was revoked by the government in 2008 due to inactivity.
Star Air (Indonesia) | History
The agreement to join was widely reported in the media as a coup for Oneworld, with Qatar Airways the first among the "Big Three" carriers in the Persian Gulf to sign for any global airline alliance. The airline joined the alliance on 30 October 2013. On 14 February 2013, American Airlines began plans to merge with US Airways. Following U.S. Federal Aviation Administration approval, the merger was completed on 9 December 2013. US Airways left Star Alliance on 30 March 2014, and joined Oneworld as an affiliate member the following day.
Oneworld | 2012–present: The second big expansion
Southern Star Airlines formed in 2011 shortly after its independence from Sudan. Ahmad Issa was appointed as the chairman and managing director of the company when it formed. The airline acquired one Bombardier Dash 8 for the airline, registration "5Y-BZI". The aircraft, previously leased to airlines such as Piedmont Airlines, Sakhalin Aviation, and TMK Air Commuter, was first leased to Piedmont Airlines back in 1988, and eventually was leased to Southern Star Airlines in August 2011. The first flight from the airline took place on 20 August 2011. The airline maintained steady operations, but two months into its business, the airline shut down all of its operations.
Southern Star Airlines | History
The aircraft, a DC-10 Series 10 (production designation "Ship 29"), was built in Long Beach, California, under the manufacturer's test registration and leased to Turkish Airlines as on 10 December 1972. It was powered by three General Electric CF6-6D turbofan engines. The plane, together with four other DC-10-10s, were owned by Mitsui, and were originally intended to be purchased by All Nippon Airways, but the Japanese airline declined the aircraft in favor of the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar as a result of bribery by Lockheed. Three of the planes went to Turkish Airlines, while the two remaining went to Laker Airways.
Turkish Airlines Flight 981 | Aircraft and crew
Flight operations and catering services of the aircraft is done by the Turkish Airlines staff, while the maintenance of aircraft is done by Turkish Technic staff. The maintenance and flight operations of the helicopters are carried out by Presidential personnel. The fleet consists of two Airbus A319CJs, a highly modified and armed (with air defense missiles) Airbus A330-200 Prestige, an Airbus A340-500 High Gross Weight registered TC-CAN (can means life in Turkish) bought from the Tunisian Government after President Ben Ali (who originally ordered the plane to replace the Boeing BBJ) was ousted, and a highly modified Boeing 747-8 which was a gift by the former owner the royal family of Qatar.
Air transports of heads of state and government | Turkey
The threshold of 10% forces minor and medium sized parties to form alliances. The first official offer came from Liberal Democratic Party who offered an alliance to nine political parties both from left and right wings, including the Motherland Party and Democratic Left Party. Unification: Groups and unions:
2007 Turkish general election | Alliances
The headquarters of NATO's Allied Air Component Command for Southern Europe (formerly designated as AIRSOUTH and originally headquartered in Naples, Italy) was established in İzmir, Turkey, on 11 August 2004. Allied Air Command İzmir was deactivated on 1 June 2013, when the Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany became the sole Allied Air Component Command of NATO. Turkey is one of five NATO member states which are part of the nuclear sharing policy of the alliance, together with Belgium, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. A total of 90 B61 nuclear bombs are hosted at the Incirlik Air Base, 40 of which are allocated for use by the Turkish Air Force in case of a nuclear conflict, but their use requires the approval of NATO.
Turkish Air Force | Turkish Air Force and NATO
On 24 April 2017, Borajet announced that they will temporarily suspend their operations and 30,000 existing flight reservations would be transferred to Turkish Airlines. The airline stated maintenance issues as a reason for this move and plans to resume operations sometime during 2018 when Istanbul's new international airport becomes operational. In June 2017, a Turkish court ordered that seven aircraft of the company are to be seized. As of November 2019, the airline did not resume its operations.
Borajet | Suspension of operations
For the Anatolian Falcon 2012 joint exercises, the United States sent the 480th Fighter Squadron to train with Turkish pilots in the operation Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses.
Turkey–United States relations | Military relations
The airline head office is in the Turkish Airlines General Management Building at Istanbul Atatürk Airport in Yeşilköy, Bakırköy.
Turkish Airlines | Corporate affairs
The Air Force took part in the Operation Deliberate Force of 1995 and Operation Allied Force of 1999, and later participated in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina, employing two squadrons (one in the Ghedi fighter wing, and after 2000 one in the Aviano fighter wing.) They returned to Turkey in 2001. In 2006, 4 Turkish F-16 fighter jets were deployed for NATO's Baltic Air Policing operation.
Turkish Armed Forces | Air Force
On 27 March 2012, EVA Air announced that it would join Star Alliance in 2013. On 24 September 2012 EVA Air signed a partnership with Amadeus IT Group Altéa suite for its Altéa Revenue Management system. On 18 June 2013, EVA Air became a full member of Star Alliance. In October 2014, EVA AIR announced its intention to expand its North American network by adding new routes to Houston in 2015 and Chicago in 2016, along with expanding 55 flights per week to 63 flights per week to North America.
EVA Air | Further expansion in the early 2010s
According to "The Economist", in October 2017, Turkish-American relations sank to their lowest in over 40 years. Since US President Barack Obama mediated tensions between Turkish Preseident Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Israeli Primi Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Gaza flotilla raid, some neoconservatives have called for Turkey's expulsion from NATO. Tom Rogan from National Review promoted expelling Turkey from NATO as part of his broader efforts to reform the alliance. Ted Galen Carpenter, a senior fellow in defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, also proposed expelling Turkey from the Western alliance. Tensions have risen over issues like the US arming the People's Protection Units (which is a branch of the terrorist group Kurdistan Workers' Party), in 2015 while claiming Turkey turned a blind eye to ISIL and other jihadist networks on both sides of its border.
Turkey–United States relations | Dissociation of partnership
The airline was founded in 2008 by Yalcin Ayasli, a Turkish businessman living in the USA. Fatih Akol is Chairman of the Board. The company rented a hangar at Atatürk International Airport, Istanbul and then purchased three second-hand ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft, which were delivered at the beginning of 2010. Borajet received its "Regional Airline Operations License" on 22 April 2010 and started operations on 7 May 2010 with its first flight from Istanbul to Tokat. In 2014 Borajet agreed a deal to lease five Embraer 190 aircraft (with options on a further three) from GE Capital Aviation Services. In October 2016 Borajet announced long-term lease deals with AerCap for three Embraer 190-E2 and two Embraer 195-E2 aircraft, with deliveries to begin in 2018.
Borajet | Early years
This is a list of national airlines currently operating in Turkey.
List of airlines of Turkey | Introduction
Star International is a weekly English language newspaper published in Northern Cyprus. It was formed from two separate newspapers, "Cyprus Star" and "Turkey Star", both published weekly and owned by the Star Kibris Media Group. It was started in April 2008 and the current editor is Dan Gibson.
Star International | Introduction
In October 2016, due to a downturn in air traffic, the airline had announced it was delaying delivery of 39 Boeing and Airbus aircraft (exact details were not specified) from its outstanding commitments for 167 aircraft (92 Airbus A321neos, 65 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 10 Boeing 737 MAX 9s). It was set to receive just 10 of 32 aircraft due in 2018, but all outstanding orders are expected to be fulfilled by 2023. On 26 June 2019, the first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from the airline's March 2018 order was delivered to the airline. In August 2019, Turkish Airlines chairman İker Aycı stated that the carrier was looking into receiving its orders of long-haul aircraft, such as the Airbus A350-900, earlier than planned.
Turkish Airlines | Fleet development
However, in June 2012, Turkish Airlines ended the joint venture following which the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina gave the airline a cash injection of €3.5 million.
B&amp;H Airlines | Early years
The airline was established in 2005 as İzmir Hava Yolları by a group of businessmen from İzmir. It started operations on 14 June 2006. Starting in 2012, all IZair flights were marketed under the "Air Berlin Turkey" brand, a cooperation between Air Berlin and Pegasus Airlines. The cooperation was discontinued in 2013, with the brand itself being abandoned. On 29 February 2012 the last remaining Airbus A319-100 was returned to the lessor.
IZair | History