Turkish Airlines carried 9 million passengers in September 2026, while its total for the first nine months of the year reached 73 million. The January-September figure was 5.2% higher than in the same period of 2025, showing that passenger growth continued alongside an expansion in capacity.
Passenger traffic and load factors rose in September
The airline served 5.9 million international passengers and 3.1 million domestic passengers during September, bringing the monthly total to 9 million. The international passenger load factor was 86.6%, while the domestic load factor stood at 88.2%. The overall load factor was reported at 86.8%.
Available seat kilometres, a standard measure of airline capacity, increased by 2.5% from 24 billion in September 2025 to 24.6 billion in September 2026. Passenger growth outpaced the rise in capacity, supporting the improvement in load factor. The airline served 358 destinations during the month and its fleet reached 567 aircraft.
Nine-month passenger total reaches 73 million
From January through September, Turkish Airlines carried 73 million passengers, a 5.2% increase from the corresponding period a year earlier. The total passenger load factor for the nine-month period was 85%. Capacity rose by 4.4%, from 203.3 billion available seat kilometres in 2025 to 212.2 billion in 2026.
The figures show that the carrier expanded both traffic and available capacity while maintaining a high level of seat utilisation. These statistics describe operational performance rather than financial results, however, and do not by themselves show the impact on revenue, costs or profitability.
Double-digit growth in cargo volume
Cargo and mail volume increased by 13% year on year in September to 205,700 tonnes. Over the first nine months, cargo and mail volume rose by 10.6% to 1.8 million tonnes. The figures indicate double-digit growth in air freight activity alongside the expansion in passenger operations.
The cargo increase reflects continued use of the airline's broad network and freight capacity. Its ultimate contribution to financial performance will depend on yields, operating costs and other factors that will be visible in the company's periodic financial statements rather than in traffic data alone.
Capacity and utilisation
For an airline, rising passenger numbers are most meaningful when considered together with the capacity offered. In September, traffic growth exceeded the increase in available seat kilometres and the overall load factor reached 86.8%. The nine-month load factor of 85% suggests that the level of seat utilisation was not limited to a single month.
Domestic flights posted a higher load factor than international services in September. International operations nevertheless accounted for 5.9 million of the 9 million passengers, or roughly two-thirds of the monthly total, reflecting the central role of Turkish Airlines' international network.
What the figures indicate
The central feature of the September report is that passenger traffic grew faster than capacity and load factors remained above 86%. Reaching 73 million passengers in nine months also underlines the scale of Turkish Airlines' network and its continued operational growth during 2026.
A fleet of 567 aircraft provides the operating base for that capacity. Passenger demand, future aircraft deliveries, network changes and capacity planning will be among the main factors shaping traffic performance in the coming months. The latest data offer a clear snapshot of scale and utilisation, while a full assessment will require the airline's financial disclosures as well.
