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Turkish Airlines is the national airline of Turkey. The airline’s main hub is Atatürk International Airport (IST), Istanbul, with secondary hubs at Esenboga International Airport (ESB), Ankara, and Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW), Istanbul.
Turkish Airlines was founded on May 20, 1933 under the name “State Airlines Administration” as a department of Ministry of Defence. In 1935, the administration was turned over to Ministry of Public Works. The name of the airline was changed to "General Directorate of State Airlines" and its operational control shifted to Ministry of Transportation. The first international flight of Turkish Airlines was carried out in 1947 from Ankara to Athens. In 1956, the airline was reorganised and operated under a special legislation and renamed Türk Hava Yollari A.O. with a capital of 60 Million TL. In 1961, the airline entered jet age with the acquisition of DC-9 jet aircraft. The airline was reclassified as a “State Economic Enterprise” and the capital was raised to 60 Billion TL in 1984. In September 1993, THT (Turkish Air Transportation) was merged with Turkish Airlines.
As of August 2006, Turkish Airlines had a fleet of 100 aircrafts. This included seven A310, two A319, 14 A 320, eight A321, five A330, seven A340, 17 B737-400, 38 B737-800, and two RJs. Turkish Airlines currently flies to 133 destinations around the world. In India, Turkish Airlines flies to Delhi and Mumbai.