This article is published in Aviation Daily part of Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN), and is complimentary through Apr 22, 2026. For information on becoming an AWIN Member to access more content like this, click here.
Turkish Airlines’ Middle East operations generate about 6% of its capacity and revenue. Before the new Gulf war erupted Feb. 28, the airline operated about 100 daily flights to the region; right now, it is flying only to Saudi Arabia and Oman, with about 35 daily flights.
“We have suspended many operations to Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates,” Turkish Airlines CFO Murat Seker said during a fourth quarter analysis call March 5.
On March 5, Turkish announced that flights to Iran are canceled until March 20. Flights to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon are canceled until March 9, and the other countries will be evaluated on a daily basis.
Asked if he can estimate a more detailed impact for Turkish Airlines, Seker said, “We don’t have a clear idea of how widespread the conflict is going to last, and how long it is going to last.” For now, Turkish Airlines is making flight cancellations on very short term notice as the situation remains uncertain.
“We hope to have more clarity [soon], to have a more forward looking guidance, but so far it is quite challenging,” the CFO added.
“We have been seeing some additional passenger demand toward our network from Asia westbound to Europe,” Sekar said, noting that this is a short-term demand reflecting passengers stranded in their destinations, seeking alternatives.
On the cargo side, as the important sea freight route to the Gulf is blocked, Seker says that the carrier is seeing some increase in cargo yields. But how permanent this impact is going to be is not foreseeable.
Regarding fuel, Seker said that the carrier has seen a huge (price) increase in Brent, a reference price for oil. “If Brent stays around $70 to $80, we are expecting a monthly $70 million impact on our fuel expenses,” the CFO said. “If this current situation lasts for about a month we would see about $90 million revenue loss.”
“Roughly, we can say a $120 million loss could be expected if this uneasiness lasts up to one month,” Seker said. “If it lasts longer, then it starts to impact Ramadan-eating holiday season and Easter season in April. Then we have to make more calculations.”
Related Content
