News
Temel resigns as Turkish CEO, Eksi takes over
October 28th 2016
Turkish Airlines CEO, Dr Temel Kotil, has resigned from the state-controlled carrier to become the head of Turkish Aerospace Industries, a think tank for design, technology, development and after-sales support in Turkey. Read More »
Kotil joined the carrier in 2005, and under his leadership, Turkish Airlines never posted a net loss.
"When I first started as CEO […], Turkish Airlines was carrying 12 million passengers and had 73 aircraft. Today, the carrier has reached 61 million passengers and has 299 aircraft. Istanbul has become one of the biggest airport hubs in the world,” Kotil commented.
Kotil has been replaced by Bilal Eksi, head of Turkish Technic since 2003. According to the carrier, Eksi “led a significant organization carrying out the maintenance of aircraft engines, landing gears and all components,” which has been credited with improving the airline’s on-time departure performance.
Turkish plans to carry 120 million passengers on more than 500 aircraft by 2023. However, its operating environment has become a lot more difficult this year, following the terrorist attacks at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport and longstanding political turmoil across the country, forcing the Star Alliance member to defer a large number of new aircraft deliveries in the coming years.
