Turkish Airlines has announced a package of investments worth 100 billion Turkish Lira (US$2.3 billion / €2 billion) to upgrade and expand its ground infrastructure.
The announcement was made jointly by the Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, and Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Prof. Ahmet Bolat, on January 8, 2026, at a ceremony in Istanbul.
The project covers up to eight different critical facilities, located mainly in Istanbul, which support Turkish Airlines operations across several business functions, such as air cargo, catering, crew services, IT and data handling, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO).
The Turkish flag carrier will complete Phase 2 of the Turkish Cargo SmartIST project, which involves the setup of an air cargo center with the capacity to handle 4.5 million tons of freight per year. This facility, which is expected to be completed by 2028, will be one of the largest of its type in the world.
Also in the field of logistics, the carrier is setting up a new e-commerce handling complex. Turkish Airlines offers a door-to-door integrated logistics service under the brand “Widect”.
Likewise, Turkish Airlines is investing in one of its main differentiating offerings, inflight catering, with a new catering facility capable of serving more than 500,000 passengers per day. This facility is also scheduled for completion around 2027-2028.
MRO is another area of growth for vertically-integrated Turkish Airlines. The Turkish Technic Engine Maintenance Center, capable of servicing Trent XWB-84, Trent XWB-97, and Trent 7000 Rolls-Royce engines, is also part of this initiative, which will also include the construction of new hangars.
Turkish Airlines aims to expand its maintenance capacity by 20%. Once the new facilities are completed, the airline’s MRO arm will be able to service up to 12 aircraft simultaneously.
In the digital domain, Turkish Airlines will be investing in operational resilience, with the establishment of the Istanbul Data Center, which, among other functions, aims to ensure the continuity of operations in case of disruption.
Finally, Turkish Airlines is investing in training and crew services with the completion of Phase 1 of its Flight Training Center and an additional Crew Terminal Building, both expected to open within the 2026-2027 timeframe.
Turkish Airlines expects that this raft of investments will help streamline its operations as well as the coordination between its different business units.
