Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Uraloğlu made a statement on the occasion of International Civil Aviation Day on December 7th.
Emphasizing that aviation has been the pioneer of innovation and progress throughout history and one of the strongest symbols of humanity's desire to cross borders, Uraloğlu said: “Aviation is no longer just a means of transportation, but one of the fundamental dynamics of economic development, international trade, tourism and cultural interaction. Turkish civil aviation, inspired by its deep-rooted past, combined with modern technologies and a strong corporate vision, is thus becoming an internationally competitive sector.” he said.
Uraloğlu said that with the new civil aviation model they introduced this year, they have not left any area in the industry uncontrolled, and the institutional audit capacity and risk-based audit understanding have been further strengthened.
Stating that with the introduction of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (SHGM) “Corporate Transformation Center – Enterprise Resource Planning (KDM-ERP) System”, where passengers can place all their inquiries and complaints online, Uraloğlu has digitized and centralized all processes, saying, “The passenger rights module integrated into the system made it possible to manage the requirements of our citizens from a single point.” With the KDM ERP certification module, it is now possible to certify aircraft in our own territory according to international standards. This eliminates the need for external approval in domestic production aviation.”
Uraloğlu stated that aviation in Türkiye has grown in many dimensions and that the country at the intersection of continents connects the world through air bridges.
$24.5 billion investment in airlines in 23 years
Pointing out that they have invested $300.1 billion in all types of transportation in the past 23 years, Uraloğlu continued as follows:
“Among these investments, the payment allocated to the airline was $24.5 billion. With the investments we made, Turkish civil aviation has become a strategic player not only at the regional level but also at the global level. Since 2002, we have increased the number of active airports from 26 to 58 and the number of countries with which we have air transport agreements from 81 to 175. While international flights are operated to 60 destinations in 50 countries, we have that number increased today to.” 355 destinations in 132 countries.”
Uraloğlu pointed out that Turkish civil aviation had a very productive year in terms of international cooperation, stating that 22 negotiations were held, 6 new lines were opened and 79 additional frequency acquisitions were achieved in this context.
Stating that the agreements reached with China and Indonesia have created strong growth dynamics on the Asian route, Uraloğlu said: “The resumption of Istanbul-Damascus flights by Turkish Airlines (THY) after 13 years has opened a new page in our regional aviation. In addition, with the opening of the THY Istanbul-Seville and Istanbul-Port Sudan lines on September 17, Türkiye's historical, cultural and economic ties with Spain and Sudan were further strengthened. Both goals.” have mutual flights. “New bridges of friendship have been created in tourism, trade and cultural exchange.” “This has deepened our country’s aviation diplomacy and further expanded our global flight network,” he said.
Uraloğlu emphasized that Turkish civil aviation will become more visible and effective on the international stage with its investments and work in the field of aviation with its qualified human resources, strong safety culture, sustainability-oriented approach and digital transformation vision.
Regarding aviation goals, Uraloğlu said:
“We want to strengthen our country's position as a leader in Eurasia and as a reference center for aviation in the world by adopting new generation control technologies for aviation safety, strengthening the principles of environmental sustainability in line with the vision of carbon-neutral aviation, increasing efficiency in process management through digitalization and artificial intelligence applications, and establishing international cooperation.”
Uraloğlu stated that their main goal in the civil aviation sector is flight safety, implementing safety standards at the highest level and ensuring sustainable growth of the sector.
Pointing out that Türkiye has also taken strategic steps regarding sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), Uraloğlu said, “THY started using SAF from 2022. With the DGCA's SAF instruction, we have ushered in the era of green aviation,” he said.
Uraloğlu said that the 2053 net zero emissions target will be constantly taken into account in the development of civil aviation in the country.
Pointing out that Türkiye, with its bridge location in the Europe-Asia-Middle East region, is a strategic center not only for its own airlines but also for international transit flights and the global air transport network, Uraloğlu said, “Our country ranked 3rd in Europe and 7th in the world, serving about 231 million passengers in 2024. With the triple independent runway application that we implemented at Istanbul Airport this year “We were the first country in Europe and the second country in the world to do this.” “Three aircraft can take off and land at the same time,” he said.
The number of licensed pilots will exceed 17,000 next year
Uraloğlu explained that the increase in the number of licensed pilots in the developing civil aviation sector also meets the need for qualified personnel.
Stating that their goal is to increase the number of pilots in the country by working in this area, Uraloğlu said:
“We want to increase the number of licensed pilots to 16,30 by the end of this year and to 17,102 next year. It is also among our goals to increase the number of licensed balloon pilots. We expect to increase the number of licensed balloon pilots to 723 by the end of 2026. As part of the development of civil aviation, we will increase inspections for airports, aircraft, maintenance organizations and licenses. We will carry out 1856 inspections by the end of this year, in 2026 “We will increase this number to 2,399. The measures we have taken will increase both capacity and quality of service in the industry.”
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