Air Cargo is Growing in Türkiye!
Air cargo volume in Türkiye increased by 5 percent in the January–May 2025 period compared to the same period last year. Experts noted that the growth in e-commerce has boosted the sector and highlighted the impact of Temu.
According to the data from the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ), domestic air cargo traffic in Türkiye’s airports reached 329,668 tons in the January–May 2025 period, increasing by 1.3 percent year-on-year.
International cargo traffic rose by 6 percent compared to the same period last year, reaching 1,539,714 tons. Thus, total cargo traffic in the first five months increased by 5.1 percent year-on-year to 1,869,382 tons.
“Türkiye is Advancing Toward Becoming a Transit Hub”
Serkan Eren, President of the International Transport and Logistics Service Providers Association, stated that Türkiye has entered a new phase in air cargo transportation driven by e-commerce.
Eren said: “E-commerce has gained significant momentum. Traditional airport-to-airport transportation in air cargo is now being replaced by door-to-door deliveries. This resembles the courier services that companies like DHL and UPS have been offering for years, but it’s transforming into a larger-scale model managed by exporters themselves.”
Highlighting Türkiye’s key role in this transformation, Eren pointed to the facilities that FedEx and Trendyol will establish at Istanbul Airport as concrete examples. “Thanks to strong airlines such as Turkish Airlines, Türkiye is advancing toward becoming a transit hub. E-commerce shipments are creating significant traffic both to our country and to Europe,” he said.
“Türkiye Has Become a Transit Point for Air Cargo Traffic”
Eren emphasized that with the expansion of China-based e-commerce platforms such as Temu into the European market, Türkiye has become one of the transit points in air cargo traffic. “In the past, ordering from China would mean waiting for a month. Now, deliveries are made in 3–5 days. This makes air cargo much more attractive,” he said.
Despite the rapid growth of e-commerce, Eren pointed out the challenges in air cargo capacity: “If you want to buy an aircraft, you need to wait 5–6 years. This puts pressure on the supply-demand balance. Therefore, flexible solutions and air-road combinations are becoming increasingly important,” he added.