Strong safety record · IATA IOSA registered

Is Turkish Airlines safe?

TK · THY · Istanbul (IST / LTFM) · Sources: IATA, AirlineRatings, Skytrax, AVHerald · Last updated: May 2026

TL;DR

Yes — Turkish Airlines carries a strong modern safety record by industry-standard measures. The carrier is IATA IOSA registered and ranked sixth among Skytrax's World's Best Airlines for 2025. The most recent fatal commercial accident occurred in 2009 (TK1951 at Amsterdam Schiphol). Since that event Turkish Airlines has implemented sustained operational and training reforms, and has expanded into the world's largest destination network — currently serving 352 destinations across 129 countries from Istanbul, carrying approximately 85 million passengers annually.

IATA · ICAO

TK · THY

Hub

IST / LTFM

Fleet size

~350 aircraft

IOSA

Registered

Carrier overview

Türk Hava Yolları (Turkish Airlines) was founded in 1933 and is the national flag carrier of Türkiye. The Turkey Wealth Fund holds the largest single shareholding (~49%) with the remainder publicly traded. Turkish Airlines joined the Star Alliance in 2008. The main hub is Istanbul Airport (IST / LTFM), opened in 2018 to replace the former Atatürk hub (LTBA). Secondary base is Sabiha Gökçen (SAW / LTFJ). Subsidiaries include AnadoluJet (low-cost) and Turkish Cargo.

›Founded: 1933
›Largest shareholder: Turkey Wealth Fund (~49%)
›Alliance: Star Alliance (since 2008)
›Codes: IATA TK · ICAO THY · Callsign "Turkair"
›Hub: Istanbul (IST / LTFM); secondary Sabiha Gökçen (SAW / LTFJ)

Fleet composition

Turkish Airlines operates one of the largest mixed widebody and narrow-body fleets in commercial aviation. Average fleet age is approximately 8 years — among the youngest of any major flag carrier. The fleet includes Airbus A319/A320/A321 and A321neo for short and medium-haul, with A330, A350, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 for long-haul.

Type	In service (approx.)	Role
Airbus A321 / A321neo	~100	Short to medium-haul
Airbus A320 / A319	~50	Short-haul
Boeing 737-800 / MAX 8 / MAX 9	~70	Short to medium-haul
Boeing 777-300ER	~35	Long-haul trunk
Boeing 787-9	~25	Long-haul
Airbus A330-200 / -300	~35	Medium long-haul
Airbus A350-900	~20	New long-haul

Significant order book for additional A350, A321neo and Boeing 737 MAX deliveries through the late 2020s.

Route network

Turkish Airlines holds the Guinness World Record for the most countries served by an airline — 129 countries and 352 destinations as of recent reporting, comprising 53 domestic and approximately 300 international destinations. Istanbul's geographic position makes it a natural sixth-freedom hub between Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and East Asia. The carrier transports approximately 85 million passengers annually.

See: fly to Istanbul · Turkish Airlines corridor access.

Safety record analysis

Turkish Airlines' historical record includes hull-loss accidents prior to the carrier's modernisation. The most recent fatal accident on a Turkish Airlines passenger flight was TK1951 in 2009.

25 FEBRUARY 2009 · FLIGHT TK1951

Amsterdam Schiphol approach accident, Boeing 737-800

TK1951 (Istanbul–Amsterdam) descended below glideslope on approach to Schiphol and crashed in a field short of runway 18R. Nine occupants died (four crew, five passengers); 117 survived. The Dutch Safety Board final report identified a faulty radio altimeter signal interacting with autothrottle behaviour and crew procedural response. Boeing issued operational bulletins and Turkish Airlines implemented training programme changes.
2010s OPERATIONAL EVENTS

Subsequent occurrences addressed via published reports

Several non-fatal hull losses and serious incidents occurred during the 2010s — including the 2015 TK726 Kathmandu landing event (no fatalities) and 2017 ACT Airlines (cargo affiliate) Bishkek accident. Each is documented in the relevant national investigation authority's final report. Turkish Airlines' own commercial-passenger operations have recorded no passenger fatalities since 2009.
SAFETY AUDITS

IATA IOSA registered; Skytrax 2025 sixth-best globally

Turkish Airlines holds continuous IATA IOSA registration. The carrier was ranked sixth on the Skytrax 2025 World's Best Airlines list. AirlineRatings rates the carrier within its full-service rating set with a customer-review score of 7.95/10 (May 2026).

Sources: Dutch Safety Board TK1951 final report, Nepal AAIC TK726 report, IATA IOSA registry, Skytrax 2025 rankings, AVHerald incident log.

Skytrax and industry rankings

›Skytrax 2025: sixth-best airline in the world; "Best Airline in Europe" multi-year holder; recurring "Best Business Class Catering" winner.
›AirlineRatings 2026: within the full-service rating set; customer review score 7.95/10.
›IATA IOSA: continuously registered.
›Guinness World Record: most countries served by an airline (129).

Operational notes (2024–2026)

Turkish Airlines has retained access to a broad set of airspace corridors including Russian, Iranian, and Central Asian airspace — placing it in a routing-competitive position on Europe–East Asia and Europe–South-East Asia trunk routes. Istanbul's hub operations are not subject to active EASA Conflict Zone Information Bulletins; the carrier operates from one of the largest airport terminal complexes worldwide. Detail: corridor access profile.

No regulatory restrictions are active against Turkish Airlines on its main route portfolio as of May 2026. Ongoing fleet renewal continues with A350 and 787 deliveries.

War-risk underwriter perspective

Turkish Airlines' route portfolio includes corridors adjacent to active regional risk environments, but the carrier's hull war-risk profile is supported by a young modern fleet, continuous IOSA compliance, and a clean passenger safety record since 2009. War-risk overflight cover is industry-standard for corridor transit; passengers should verify standard travel-insurance wording separately.

Sources

• Dutch Safety Board — TK1951 final report (2010)
• Nepal Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission — TK726 final report
• IATA IOSA Registry
• Skytrax — World's Best Airlines 2025
• AirlineRatings — Turkish Airlines safety profile (2026)
• AVHerald — factual incident database
• Türk Hava Yolları annual reports — fleet, network and traffic data