Turkish Airlines expects its capacity growth to remain capped through 2026 as it continues to manage the fallout from the Middle East conflict, even after posting a solid second-quarter profit.
The carrier reported a net profit of 197 million US dollars for the second quarter of 2026, with revenue climbing around 20% to roughly 7.2 billion dollars. The airline said it offset the impact of conflict-related disruption through what it described as dynamic capacity management and a selective approach to growth.
For the full year, Turkish Airlines now expects network capacity to expand by approximately 4%, below its original plans. The airline attributed the more cautious outlook to the Middle East conflict and to the ongoing grounding of aircraft affected by Pratt & Whitney geared-turbofan engine inspections. For the third quarter, it guided to capacity growth of between 3% and 5%.
The regional detail underlines how sharply the geopolitical situation reshaped the network. Capacity to the Middle East fell 48.3% in the quarter as the carrier pulled flying away from conflict-affected areas. At the same time, it redeployed aircraft toward stronger markets: Far East capacity rose 17.9%, while unit revenue metrics improved markedly, with RASK up 26.0% and passenger RASK rising 22.0%.
The strategy of shifting capacity away from disrupted routes and toward higher-yielding markets helped the airline protect profitability even as demand to and around the conflict zone weakened in the immediate aftermath of hostilities. Turkish Airlines also pointed to a recovery in international traveller numbers over the first half of the year, suggesting that the initial shock to demand had begun to ease.
Istanbul's position as a global connecting hub gives Turkish Airlines significant flexibility to reroute traffic, but the GTF engine issue remains a genuine constraint on how quickly it can add capacity. Grounded aircraft awaiting inspection and spare engines reduce available fleet hours across the industry, and Turkish Airlines is among the many operators of affected narrowbody types working around the shortfall.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and the airline's other widebodies remain central to its long-haul ambitions, carrying the bulk of the intercontinental flying that the carrier has leaned on to redirect capacity toward Asia and other growth regions. With markets recovering but capacity still constrained, Turkish Airlines faces a balancing act between disciplined growth and defending the margins that delivered its second-quarter result.
Sources: FlightGlobal. Featured image: AI-generated by AviationShop. By Daniel Okafor.
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