Turkish Airlines plans to increase flight frequencies to the Asia-Pacific region by between 15 and 20 per cent in the coming years. Board chair Murat Şeker said the airline wants to add second and third daily services to important cities and establish another strong corridor linking Asia, Australia and Europe. The carrier currently serves 133 countries and 358 destinations.

China is a major part of the expansion. Turkish Airlines added 10 flights this year to reach 42 weekly services, while its existing traffic rights allow up to 49. Frequencies to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou were raised earlier than planned, and the airline is preparing to begin Chengdu services in November as well as flights to Urumqi.

The carrier also moved widebody capacity into high-demand markets including Japan, China, Australia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam, adding 58 weekly passenger flights and 61 cargo flights. Second-quarter revenue rose 20.5 per cent from a year earlier to $7.2 billion, with passenger revenue up 15 per cent and cargo revenue up 58 per cent. First-half revenue increased 20.8 per cent to $13.1 billion, while the airline’s customer base grew by about 5 per cent.

Asian routes accounted for 32 per cent of revenue in the second quarter, compared with 27 per cent for Europe, and their share of passenger traffic rose from 10 to 12 per cent. Turkish Airlines also plans nonstop services to Sydney and Melbourne in 2028 and is considering international joint ventures with stakes of 30 to 50 per cent in operations, cargo and aircraft maintenance. Japanese investors already finance about one-fifth of the airline’s aircraft leasing needs and have supported more than 100 aircraft worth around $9 billion over two decades.