On May 20, 1933 Turkish Airlines (TK) was founded as Hava Yolları Devlet Işletmesi Idaresi (State Airlines Administration) and became a department of the Turkish Ministry of Defence. The first flight was an Ankara Istanbul service in August 1933.
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On May 20, 1933 Turkish Airlines (TK) was founded as Hava Yolları Devlet Işletmesi Idaresi (State Airlines Administration) and became a department of the Turkish Ministry of Defence. The first flight was an Ankara Istanbul service in August 1933.
In 1938 the airline was renamed Devlet Hava Yolları Umum Müdürlüğü (General Directorate of State Airlines) and operated by the Ministry of Transportation. The existing fleet of King Birds and Junkers was extended when the DC-3 was introduced.
In 1947 the first international flight, Ankara-Istanbul-Athens, was operated.
The airline was renamed again in 1957, the new name being Türk Hava Yollari A.O. (THY).
The jet age started in 1967, when the first DC-9s were leased. B707s, DC-10s and B727s followed in the next years.
On March 3, 1974, a Turkish Airlines DC-10 crashed in Ermenonville, France, killing all 346 people on board. The crash was the worst in aviation history up to this date and the first one involving a fully-loaded wide-body aircraft.
In 1984 the company was reclassified, making it a state economic enterprise and raising its capital. The first Airbuses (A310) joined the fleet.
In 1986 Singapore was added as a destination giving TK its first Far-East route. Two years later the first Trans-Atlantic route followed with the destination New York.
In 1997 TK became a member of the Qualiflyer Group. Only in 1999 a non-smoking policy was applied to all TK flights.
In the years to come B737-800s, A320s/A321s and A330s were introduced, the ladder replacing the old A310s.
In 2006 TK applied for Star Alliance membership. A decision is yet to be made.
The Turkish Airlines fleet consisted of around 100 planes with an average age of around 10 years in 2006. The airline has suffered 21 major accidents causing a total of 891 casualties.
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