Turkish Airlines' Passenger Numbers Rise 8.7 Percent İn First Five Months

The total number of passengers carried by Turkish Airlines increased by 8.7 percent in the first five months of the year, rising to 23.2 million from 21.4 million in the same period of 2014.

The company saw an increase in the number of domestic and international passengers, by 10.5 percent and 7.4 percent respectively.

International Business and Comfort Class passengers increased by 3.7 percent in the same period, while international-to-international transfer passengers increased by 11.4 percent, Turkish Airlines said in a written statement to the Public Disclosure Platform on June 15.

However, the load factor, which measures capacity fulfillment, decreased by 1 percent to 77.6 percent in the first five months of the year compared to the same period of 2014.

By the end of May 2015, the number of Turkish Airlines' destinations went up to 274 from 251 in May 2014, the statement added. The number of domestic destinations increased from 43 to 48 and the number of international destinations rose from 208 to 226.

By the end of May 2015, the number of aircraft in the company's fleet rose to 277 from 250, while the number of wide body aircraft increased from 47 to 64, narrow body aircraft from 194 to 203, and cargo aircraft from 9 to 10.

Meanwhile, flag carrier Turkish Airlines' passenger numbers rose by 13 percent to 54.7 million people in 2014 from the previous year.

The company's load factor was largely flat in 2014, declining just 0.1 points, to 78.9 percent. - Istanbul