Turkish Airlines to be rebranded as Türkiye Hava Yolları

Turkish national carrier brand Turkish Airlines will be renamed Türkiye Havayolları, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced, as the country’s bid to change its international name from Turkey to Türkiye was acknowledged by the United Nations and NATO. 

“No more Turkey, there is Türkiye. From now on we will inscribe Türkiye Hava Yolları (Airlines) on our planes instead of Turkish Airlines,” Erdoğan said in a speech he delivered on June 14 at a ceremony for TÜRKSAT 5-B Satellite’s entry into service.

Ankara formally registered the country’s name as Türkiye, as it was spelt in Turkish, instead of Turkey earlier this month in a letter to the UN. 

The country has called itself Türkiye since it declared independence in 1923 but is called Turkey internationally. 

As the government claims that the Turkish spelling better expresses the country’s values, it is also speculated that the officials wanted to avoid being resembled the bird turkey.  

The United Nations and NATO have legally adopted Türkiye in place of Turkey. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also used the term Türkiye as did the Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.