IATA: Aviation Drives 7.4% of Türkiye’s Economy and 2 Million Jobs

IATA Highlights the Value of Aviation to the Republic of Türkiye

05 November 2025 (Istanbul) — The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its Value of Air Transport to the Republic of Türkiye report at the IATA World Financial Symposium and World Passenger Symposium held in Istanbul. The report quantitatively demonstrates the significant contribution of aviation (including aviation-related tourism) to employment and economic activity in the country. Key findings from 2023 show that aviation supports and enables:

• USD 82.4 billion in economic activity (including broader supply chain, employee spending, and tourism impacts), equivalent to 7.4% of national GDP
• 2 million jobs (including broader supply chain, employee spending, and tourism impacts), with 53,000 people directly employed by airlines

1.7 million tons of air cargo transported

Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President of Operations, Safety and Security, stated:
“Türkiye is a global aviation powerhouse. International passenger departures have grown nearly 70% over the last decade, making Türkiye the seventh-largest outbound passenger market in the world. Airlines are strengthening regional and international connectivity, supporting trade, tourism, and economic opportunity. Aviation already supports more than 2 million jobs and contributes 7.4% to national GDP. Maintaining strategic focus on aviation — through competitive costs, sufficient capacity, and leveraging the opportunities presented by SAF — will be vital for Türkiye to sustain its leadership in global air transport.”

Key Priorities for Türkiye

To ensure continued benefits from aviation, IATA identifies three strategic priorities for Türkiye:

• Infrastructure: Türkiye has made significant investments in airport infrastructure and digitalization. Maintaining cost competitiveness through collaboration with the industry will be essential.
• Capacity Building: Ensuring a skilled workforce across all areas of aviation is essential to achieving Türkiye’s ambitious growth vision.
• Sustainability: Leveraging SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) will play a central role in meeting decarbonization targets. IATA research highlights Türkiye’s potential to scale sustainable biomass sources and invest in domestic SAF production to meet national goals and rising regional demand.