Is Traveling by Turkish Airlines Safe?
Established on 20th May,1933, Turkish Airlines, legally known as Türk Hava Yolları Anonim Ortaklığı, is the flag carrier of Turkey. Turkish Airlines is generally considered one of the safest airlines in the world. This is because of its dedication towards maintaining high safety standards, putting meticulous efforts into rigorous pilot training, and adopting an array of modern aircraft along with adherence to international safety guidelines.
Turkish Airlines is recognized as the safest airline in Europe by AirlinesRatings.com and ranked the airline on the 13th position globally. SkyTrax also acknowledged the airline as the ‘Best Airline in Europe’ based on its safety protocols as well.
The Airline Passenger Experience Association also awarded Turkish Airlines with the Diamond Status for providing hospital-grade health safety for passengers. Turkish Airlines is also a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and is regularly audited for safety compliance.
Is It Safe to Fly With Turkish Airlines?
Turkish Airlines is highly appreciated and one of the safest carriers in the world. This can be further analysed by analysing the airline’s history of safety records, fleet modernisation, certifications, pilot training, and passenger reviews. Explore this blog to unravel the incidents and factual data that recognise Turkish Airlines as the safest airline.
Safety Record and Incident History
The history of Turkish Airlines’ safety records is a blend of both prominent accidents and significant improvements in safety measures. The airlines, unfortunately, encountered several crashes in the 1970s and 1980s.
The most devastating of them were as follows:
- The 1974 Crash of Flight 981, a major accident involving a faulty cargo door that led to a loss of control and the deaths of all 346 people on board.
- The 1959 Gatwick Crash, a Turkish Airlines Viscount crash at Gatwick, killing 14 out of 16 people.
- The 2003 Diyarbakır Crash, when a Turkish Airlines Avro RJ100 crashed on approach, killing 75 people.
However, Turkish Airlines has tremendously improved its safety measures after facing such tragic incidents. This is evident as the airline has not recorded any major incident since the 2009 Boeing 737-800 crash. Even in 2015’s Nepal Crash, a Turkish Airlines A330-300 overran the runway while landing in Nepal due to poor visibility, causing no fatalities.
From the 1980s, Turkish Airlines has worked greatly on protective measures by enhancing aircraft maintenance, consistent crew training, and integrating several safety devices and tools. Turkish Airlines has been performing really well in terms of safety record as compared to other renowned international carriers such as Flydubai and British Airways.
Fleet Modernization and Maintenance
In recent years, Turkish Airlines has been focusing predominantly on fleet modernisation and advancement. It is aiming to become the world’s largest and most modern airline by finalising a huge order of 220 Airbus aircraft in December 2023. A newer fleet generally means better reliability, updated safety technology, and greater fuel efficiency. The modern aircraft of Turkish Airlines includes the following:
- A321neo
- A330-200
- A330-300
- A350-900
- A350-1000
The aircraft A321neo utilizes a sophisticated avionics system and safety monitors such as improved weather radar, traffic collision avoidance systems (TCAS), and terrain awareness and warning systems (TAWS). The Airbus aircraft A350-900 and A350-1000 are known for their sustainability and cutting-edge functions.
The maintenance of Turkish Airlines aircraft is performed by Turkish Technic, the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) arm of Turkish Airlines. It is one of the largest and most advanced MROs certified by global aviation regulators such as EASA and FAA.
The dedication of Turkish Airlines towards fleet enhancement and regular aircraft maintenance highlights the airline’s commitment to long-term safety.
Regulatory Oversight and Certifications
National and international aviation authorities often oversee Turkish Airlines. They conduct surprise visits and frequent audits to ensure the company’s compliance with aviation rules and regulations. The authorities responsible for keeping a vigilant check on Turkish Airlines operations are:
- Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of Turkey
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
The airlines also adhere to the rules of other aviation agencies:
- EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency)
- FAA (Federal Aviation Administration, USA)
- ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization)
Turkish Airlines has been a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) since 1956. The airline is also an active participant in the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). This audit is quite challenging for the airline as the airline must meet the demanding requirements and safety standards expected by the association. Turkish Airlines has consistently met the standards of IATA for several years.
However, the DGCA’s inspection of Turkish Airlines in India disclosed several compliance issues in the airline’s operations. The inspections, conducted between 29th May, 2025, and 2nd June, 2025, revealed issues with dangerous goods handling, personnel authorization, and ground handling.
Pilot Training and Crew Standards
Turkish Airlines has an extensive network of aviation academies that offer competence-focused professional Pilot Training. These academies are as follows:
- Turkish Airlines Flight Academy (TAFA)
- Turkish Airlines Aviation Academy (TAAA)
These academies provide world-class training to aspiring pilots. These associations comprise over 100 instructors and 200 professionals to provide practical, rigorous, and comprehensive training to the young pilots. At these academies, pilots receive initial training, recurrent training, and simulator-based emergency drills to stay prepared for rare but critical situations. These trainings lead to the inculcation of skills listed below:
- Flight Operations Mastery
- Aircraft Handling
- Navigation & Meteorology
- Simulator Training
- Multi-Crew Coordination (MCC)
Turkish Airlines is also quite conscientious about crew selection. The airline is known for maintaining high crew standards. Turkish Airlines recruits pilots who qualify for the following standards:
- Have a staunch passion for aviation
- Rigorous experience
- Hold a valid Commercial Pilot License (CPL) with Instrument Rating (IR) or an Airline Transport Pilot Licence(ATPL) with an aeroplane category.
Many Turkish Airlines pilots also come from military aviation backgrounds or have substantial experience in operating commercial carriers.
The airline is also very particular about selecting its flight attendants. The flight attendants are expected to have a client-centric approach, strong interpersonal skills, proficient in multiple languages, especially standard aviation English. Turkish Airlines also trains its flight attendants in:
- Emergency procedures that need to be followed during medical situations, technical faults, or the climate crisis
- First aid
- Evacuation protocols
- Passenger safety and crisis communication
Turkish Airlines’ consistent efforts in maintaining high crew standards reflect the airline’s commitment to the safety of its precious passengers.
Health Safety Measures
One of the significant reasons why Turkish Airlines is a respectable international carrier is its assiduity towards the health and safety of the travellers flying with them. It has ensured utmost hygiene of the crew and passengers, especially during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts include:
- Employing the Hygiene Expert Cabin Crew
- Distribution of Hygiene Kits and Antiseptic Tissues
- Contactless Check-in and Boarding
- Mandatory Face Masks
- Executed Health Measures in Cooperation with APEX and SimpliFlying
- Implemented comprehensive health measures in line with World Health Organization (WHO) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines
Turkish Airlines was also recognised with a ‘Diamond’ Status in the health and safety review conducted by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) Health Safety in partnership with SimpliFlying in January 2021.
Passenger Reviews and Global Rankings
Turkish Airlines is widely renowned for the affirmative response received by its passengers. It was awarded the Best Airlines in Europe award by the positive reviews it achieved from millions of passengers. The passengers often praise the airlines for their airport and in-flight amenities, comfortable seats, in-flight meals, in-flight entertainment, professional crew, modern and well-maintained aircraft, and extensive assistance provided by the staff members. They even prefer the airlines for long-haul flights. Reviews often center around a strong sense of safety and reliability during flights.
Turkish Airlines is the third-largest airline in Europe. It has also achieved several prestigious accolades and positions for its operations. Some of them are listed below:
- Turkish Airlines is the 6th Best Airline globally by SkyTrax.
- Turkish Airlines is recognised as a “Five-Star Global Airline” by APEX.
- AirlineRatings.com upgraded Turkish Airlines to a seven-star safety rating in 2022 for showcasing a strong safety record.
- It is certified as a “Four-Star Airline” by SkyTrax.
- It has received the “Europe’s Best Airline” award from SkyTrax several times.
- The airline was presented with “Best Business Class Catering” at the World Airline Award.
- The airline was presented with “Best Economy Class Catering” at the 2025 World Airline Award by SkyTrax.
- It was also acknowledged with the “Best Economy Class Seat in Europe” award from Skytrax.
- SkyTrax also recognised the airline with the “Best Airline in Southern Europe” award
- The Airline Passenger Experience Association also awarded Turkish Airlines with the Diamond Status for providing hospital-grade health safety for passengers.
This vast list of awards and positive customer reviews showcases Turkish Airlines’ success and passenger-oriented policies.
Conclusion
This blog presents an in-depth analysis backed by factual data that shows Turkish Airlines’ safety ratio and success rate. Therefore, it can be simply concluded that Turkish Airlines is one of the safest airlines that prioritises its passengers’ comfort and well-being. The advanced fleets, intensive pilot training, crew management, and frequent maintenance make Turkish Airlines one of the most admired airlines globally.
FAQs
Turkish Airlines is one of the safest international airlines. It came 13th in the global rankings, earning a seven-star rating on the platform.
Yes, Turkish Airlines has various modern aircraft such as A321neo, A330-200, A330-300, A350-900, and A350-1000 in its collection of aircraft.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of Turkey and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) mainly oversee the operations of Turkish Airlines.
Yes, Turkish Airlines has its aviation academies known as Turkish Airlines Flight Academy (TAFA) and Turkish Airlines Aviation Academy (TAAA).
Turkish Airlines was upgraded to a seven-star safety rating in 2022 for showcasing a strong safety record by AirlinesRatings.com.