How Türkiye uses Turkish Airlines as a soft power instrument
30 July 2024
"Welcome to Istanbul, the meeting point of the world" – that's what you hear when you land at Istanbul's new airport, which opened in 2018. While that phrase is used as national myth-building for foreign and local audiences, there's some truth to it: Turkish Airlines, which has its hub there, flies to more countries than any other airline in the world. Regularly named the best European airline, Turkish Airlines reaches a staggering 349 destinations in 130 countries. For comparison, the Lufthansa Group, Europe's largest airline by revenue, only flies to 101 countries – and that's including all its subsidiary airlines.
Turkish Airlines' destinations are not just selected based on profitability but on geopolitical calculations. Anyone travelling to or from the Balkan countries knows that getting anywhere is challenging, as few European carriers offer flights to the region. Cue Turkish Airlines, which has an extensive network of direct flights from Istanbul to all Western Balkan capitals. Meanwhile, among European airlines, only Austrian Airlines operates direct flights to all Western Balkan – and potential future EU member states – from Vienna.
Turkish Airlines also flies to politically isolated locations such as Afghanistan and Russia and has more destinations in Africa than any non-African airline, 64 in total. In comparison, with its massive interest in the African continent, French national air carrier Air France reaches only 18 destinations in all of Africa.
 | Julius E. O. Fintelmann To understand a country's foreign policy, you need to look at where its airlines fly. Albeit being only 49% state-owned – so theoretically a private company – Turkish Airlines acts as an extension of the state, supporting its foreign policy and political brand. When we think of state power, we often conjure images of military or economic might. The more subtle way of convincing other countries and societies to believe in your brand and national identity is through soft power – the same way Hollywood and McDonald's promote American culture abroad. Türkiye wants to do the same with Turkish Airlines – using its expansion as an instrument of soft power. Ankara wants to portray itself as the turntable of the continents, the 'bridge between East and West'. It's also a great way for the Turkish government to make other countries forget its poor human rights record and hostile relationships with neighbours. And there's a very simple truth: it's a prestige thing to fly to more countries than anyone else. And Turkish Airlines won't stop soon: its the airline's self-declared goal to grow its destination network by 10% every year. |
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