“The national airline will henceforth operate its international flights under the name Türk Havayollari and no longer as Turkish Airlines,” said the Turkish president, who has already changed his country’s name to the United Nations.
The airline Turkish Airlines will henceforth bear abroad its Turkish name, “Turkish AirlinesAs the literal translation is, announced today by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“The national airline will henceforth operate its international flights under the name Türk Havayollari and no longer as Turkish Airlines,” said the Turkish president, who has already changed his country’s name to the United Nations.
Speaking at his party’s Islamist-conservative AKP parliamentary group, Erdogan formally asked the UN in early June to refer to Turkey under its Turkish name. Turkeywhich wants to make it a unique brand in all languages for export.
The name Türkiye allows the country to get rid of the English name Turkey, which means turkey and causes smiles.
Turkish Airlines, which already serves more than 200 destinations worldwide on all continents with a departure point in Istanbul, is 49% owned by the Turkish state.
The company carried more than 74 million passengers in 2019 and 44.8 million in 2021 due to the pandemic.
The company has been regularly selected as the best European airline since 2011, according to various websites.
Asked by the French Agency about this change of name abroad, a company representative did not respond immediately.
This “Turkification” of the name of the country and its national company takes place one year before the presidential elections that are announced to be held in mid-June 2023, and in which Erdogan has announced his candidacy.
In power since 2003, as prime minister and then president, he is facing a severe economic crisis and inflation of over 73%.
According to a poll conducted in April by the Turkish Metropoll Institute, Erdogan could be defeated in the second round by a possible opponent.
