-
Turkish Airlines
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- TK/THY
- Airline Type:
- Full Service Carrier
- Hub(s):
- Istanbul Airport
- Year Founded:
- 1933
- Alliance:
- Star Alliance
- CEO:
- Bilal Ekşi
- Country:
- Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has revealed plans to rename Turkish Airlines as 'Türkiye Hava Yolları'. The rebrand is part of a global push to have the country known by its local name of Türkiye.
Turkish Airlines to be renamed
Turkey's national carrier Turkish Airlines is to undergo a rebrand as part of the country's plans to have itself known internationally as Türkiye.
Speaking at the launch of the Türksat 5B Satellite on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the carrier will now go under its local name of Türkiye Hava Yolları and plans to repaint all of its aircraft to reflect the name change.
President Erdogan said,
"We have taken a symbolic step by changing Turkey's name in the international sphere to 'Türkiye'. From now on the fuselage of our planes will be marked not as Turkish Airlines but as Türkiye Hava Yollari."
The carrier has been known as Türkiye Hava Yolları domestically since it was founded in 1933. 'Hava Yolları' is the Turkish term for airlines, while the word 'Türkiye' is pronounced as tur-key-yay.
The Turkish government own a 49% stake in the airline, while the remaining 51% is publicly traded.
Over 300 aircraft to repaint
If the Turkish carrier is to go through with blazoning its new name across its fleet, there will be over 300 planes that need repainting.
According to Planespotters.com, the airline has 318 aircraft, with the Airbus A321, Airbus A330, Boeing 737 and Boeing 777 making up the majority of its fleet.
It remains to be seen how quickly this rebrand will be rolled out across the TK fleet.
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Why the name change?
The Turkish government has recently pushed to have the country known as Türkiye, which authorities claim will help "preserve and glorify the culture and values of our nation."
Only a few weeks ago, it applied to the United Nations (UN) to formally rename itself from Turkey to Türkiye, a request which the UN accepted.
Other organizations and politicians from other countries have adopted the new name and pronunciation this year, including NATO.
Some believe that Turkey's rebranding is to disassociate its name from the Turkey bird, although government officials claim it is about preserving its heritage.
What do you think of Turkish Airlines' plan to rebrand itself as its local name? Let us know in the comments.