Turkish Airlines cuts 2026 growth targets as jet fuel costs surge

Turkish Airlines has cut its 2026 growth plans after experiencing a sharp increase in jet fuel costs. FTN news reported that jet fuel expenses surged by 118 percent, prompting the carrier to reduce its capacity targets. Airline Routes and Ground Services also reported that rising fuel costs have hit company profits, forcing the airline to trim its growth forecast. [1][7]

Despite the fuel cost pressures, the carrier reported strong passenger revenue for the third quarter. ShiftDelete.Net, ad-hoc-news.de, and Investing.com UK all reported that Turkish Airlines recorded a 19 percent revenue increase in the third quarter to 8.3 billion dollars. ShiftDelete.Net and ad-hoc-news.de noted that stock performance faces pressure from the rising fuel expenses despite this revenue growth. [8][9][10]

The airline leadership expects to maintain efficiency through incoming aircraft deliveries. FlightGlobal reported that the chief executive of Turkish Airlines still sees operational gains from scheduled new deliveries despite the decision to slow overall capacity growth. [6]

Turkish Airlines is the national flag carrier of Turkey and serves 358 global destinations across 131 countries as of September 2026. It operates a dedicated cargo division, Turkish Cargo, which serves 82 destinations, as well as a low-cost subsidiary carrier named AJet. [12]