Name: M. İlker Aycı
Title: Chairman of the board and executive committee
Company, city: Turkish Airlines; İstanbul, Turkey
Number of employees: Approximately 51,000, including subsidiaries
Recent project: Integrating emerging technologies across Turkish Airlines to create a seamless passenger experience—from AI-enhanced reservation systems to improved full-service airport operations
First job: Right after university, I served as a consultant to the mayor of the İstanbul metropolitan government.
Little-known fact about you: I enjoy exploring the distinct cultures of the places I visit, from local cuisine to history and mythology.
Your Business
What innovations or initiatives do you foresee in the industry over the coming years? We continuously invest in research and development to anticipate aviation trends and evolving passenger needs. Findings from our R&D work regularly inform enhancements to our products and services. Onboard entertainment will evolve to include augmented and virtual reality features, richer content offerings and more personalized experiences enabled by data and connectivity.
Best career advice you’ve received: Be patient and persistent in pursuing your goals, and be honest with yourself and with others.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the field? Aviation is highly competitive; remain adaptable, take initiative in learning new skills, and embrace continuous self-education.
M. İlker Aycı as a Traveler
Favorite travel memory: As I am newly married, we are enjoying creating new memories together by visiting museums and major cultural centers around the world.
One travel tip you cannot live without: Focus on experiences—travel light, but bring back a meaningful memento to remember your journey.
Best advice for business travelers: Make full use of business-class lounge benefits and the onboard services designed to help you rest and work efficiently.
About Turkish Airlines
İstanbul’s new airport is now open; tell our readers more about the facility.
İstanbul Airport is a landmark project and a central pillar of our global expansion strategy. When fully completed, it will have the capacity to handle 200 million passengers a year, making it one of the largest aviation hubs in the world.
For Turkish Airlines, the new airport eliminates previous capacity limitations and slot restrictions, allowing us to increase frequencies, add new routes and elevate the passenger experience with exclusive lounges—three of which will be available at the airport. The terminal is designed for efficiency and passenger convenience, incorporating modern technologies to streamline flows and make travel through İstanbul effortless.
The megaproject will open in phases, with final completion scheduled for 2028. The full complex will include six runways, two terminals, 233 aircraft parking positions, more than 500 check-in desks and a substantial workforce to support operations and passenger services.
Tell us about your fleet, one of the youngest in the world.
Currently our fleet numbers 333 aircraft with an average age of 8.2 years, placing it among the youngest global fleets. We previously announced plans to expand to 400 aircraft. Recent orders include new-generation narrow-body and wide-body jets as well as freighters, such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350-900, which provide improved fuel efficiency, extended range and enhanced passenger comfort—enabling us to serve more distant markets efficiently from our new base.
What are your future plans? Where do you see Turkish Airlines 10 years from now?
As the airline flying to more countries than any other—serving over 300 destinations across more than 120 countries—we have entered a new phase of growth with İstanbul Airport as our hub. Our 2023 strategic aims included growing the fleet and increasing our global market share; looking forward another decade, we expect continued expansion driven by a modern fleet, broadening route network and a strong focus on customer satisfaction.
Industry forecasts indicate a long-term shift in aviation’s center of gravity toward the East, reflecting global economic trends and rising air travel demand in Asia. Traffic through İstanbul is projected to grow significantly in the coming decades, and Turkish Airlines is well positioned to capture a meaningful share of that traffic thanks to our geographic advantage, network connectivity and ambitious growth plans.
Our overarching goal is to be the airline of choice worldwide by delivering exceptional service and earning a lasting place in the hearts of our passengers.