Turkish Airlines has significantly solidified its position in the competitive US aviation market, as evidenced by its robust performance leading up to February 2025. The US department of transportation reveals the airline transported over 3.6 million passengers to and from the United States during this 12-month period, establishing itself as the fifth-largest foreign long-haul carrier in the market. This place them behind major players like British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, and Virgin Atlantic.
The Star Alliance member experienced a remarkable over 4% increase in US passenger traffic compared to the previous year, reaching its highest level to date. This growth is primarily attributed to the successful launch of flights to Denver and increased frequencies across numerous existing routes, according to Cirium Diio data.
This upward trajectory suggests that Turkish Airlines is on track to surpass Virgin Atlantic, potentially securing the fourth position among foreign long-haul operates in the current year.
Between March 2024 and February 2025, Turkish Airlines operated 14 distinct routes to the US. The Istanbul to New York route emerged as the highest-volume corridor, accommodating approximately 608,000 passengers, equating to nearly 1,700 daily travelers.
This route showcased considerable seasonality, with August 2024 recording 71,000 passengers- a substantial 54% increase over January 2025. Despite capacity only rising by 46% during this peak month, the route demonstrated exceptionally strong load factors and yields.
Overall, Turkish Airlines maintained an impressive average load factor of 84.6% across its US flights. Chicago O’Hare achieved the highest load factor at 86.5%, while Denver, a more recent addition launched in June 2024, registered the lowest at 71.4%, which is expected given its limited nine months of operational data within data reporting period.
Looking ahead to July 2025, Turkish Airlines’ schedule indicates a continued expansions of its US operations with 170 weekly one-way flights, averaging 24 daily departures. This represents an 11% increase in flights and a 14% rise in available seats compared to the same period last year, with an average age of 323 seats per flight.
The airline’s fleet deployment for these US routes in July 2025 highlights a shift towards more modern aircraft. The Boeing 787-9 will operate the majority of flights (70 departure), followed by the Boeing 777-300 in being phased out of US service, with its last schedule flight from Boston to Turkiye on July 4. This change is particularly beneficial for passengers, promising an enhanced in-flight experience with a superior hard product.
Turkish Airlines investors relations presentations consistently feature Orlando as a crucial future destination, although a specific launch timeframe has yet to be announced.
The Airline has articulated an ambitious goal of serving up to 20 US airports, currently operating to 14. Beyond Orlando, Charlotte, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia were identified as potential new destination in 2024. Should Turkish Airlines commence flights to these four cities, its US network would expand to 18 airports. This strategic expansion comes amidst increasing competition, as evidence by Etihad’s planned launch of Abu Dhabi to Charlotte flights in early 2024.
Turkish Airlines’ consistent growth and strategic planning underscore its commitment to becoming an even more prominent player in the transatlantic aviation market.
