Dear Passengers,

On 20 May 2002 Turkish Airlines will have been flying for 69 years, backed by the support and trust of its passengers.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic, gave instructions for the establishment of Turkish Airlines on 20 May 1933, and we remember him with respect on this occasion. We also acknowledge with gratitude all those who have worked for our national airline over the years and contributed to its progress.

The year 2001 was the worst in the history of civil aviation for airline companies all over the world. Nevertheless Turkish Airlines earned profits for the year of US$6.7 million, an achievement for which we sincerely thank our trade union and personnel, whose cooperation through this difficult period has been a crucial factor. I also wish to extend our thanks once again to all those institutions and organisations which have supported us, and to say that we are indebted to them for their praises of our airline which have appeared in the Turkish and foreign press. These are so numerous that only a selection of these news items could be reproduced on these pages.
Turkish Airlines commenced operations in 1933 with five aircraft and a seating capacity of 28, and carried 460 passengers in that first year of its own journey. Today we have 70 aircraft, a seating capacity of 11,185 and an annual passenger total of 12 million.

Flights to Athens, our first international destination, commenced in 1947, and with the addition of Pristina, to which flights were launched on 15 April 2002, Turkish Airlines now flies to 77 international destinations. Together with 26 domestic flight points, we now provide services to a total of 103 destinations in the Far East, America, Europe and Africa. I wish to say how proud we are to offer such an extensive flight network, through which we link people and countries all over the world in safety and comfort.
Turkish Airlines is also proud to be Turkey's national carrier, and not satisfied even with these achievements is determined to progress still further.