Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Airport) is set to rebrand as Türkiye Hava Yolları (THY) domestically following the decision by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to rename the country Türkiye.
"We have taken another symbolic step by changing the name of our country, which is used internationally as Turkey, to Türkiye. There is no longer Turkey. There is Türkiye. From now on, we will write Türkiye Hava Yolları, not Turkish Airlines, on the fuselages of our planes," Erdogan said during a press conference.
He later clarified that the rebranding would only affect the carrier's domestic operations. Turkish Airlines is already referred to as Türk Hava Yollari domestically, although the all aircraft sport the English name. As the carrier does not have any aircraft dedicated exclusively to domestic operations, it is unclear how the rebranding will proceed.
Erdogan revealed no timeline for the rebranding for the airline, which is legally incorporated as Türk Hava Yollari AO.
Turkish Airlines is technically a public company with 50.88% of shares open for trading. The Türkiye Wealth Fund holds a 49.12% stake, while the Turkish Ministry of Finance owns a single golden share whose veto rights give the government effective control over the company.
