Turkish Airlines has announced plans to increase its flight frequencies to Lagos and Abuja as part of its mid-term vision for the Nigerian market. Speaking at a media parley in Lagos on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, the General Manager of Turkish Airlines Nigeria, Lokman Balkan, confirmed that the airline intends to scale up its current operations to better connect Nigerian travelers to its global network of 356 destinations.
Currently, the carrier operates daily flights to Lagos and four weekly flights to Abuja, but the new strategy will prioritize adding more frequencies to Lagos first, followed by an expansion of the Abuja schedule.
This planned expansion follows a strong performance in 2025, where the airline recorded 92.6 million passengers globally and maintained a high load factor of over 83%. The move is also backed by diplomatic efforts from the Turkish government.
In late 2025, the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, met with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to request support for increased frequencies to meet growing demand. This growth aligns with a broader bilateral goal to increase trade volume between Nigeria and Turkey from $2 billion to $5 billion, using the Istanbul hub as a primary gateway for Nigerian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Beyond increasing flight numbers, the airline is doubling down on service localization to stay competitive against Middle Eastern and European rivals. This includes the introduction of Nigerian-inspired menus in Economy Class and the addition of Nollywood films to its in-flight entertainment system to promote Nigerian culture to international passengers.
For travelers, the increased frequency is expected to translate into shorter connection times at Istanbul Airport and greater flexibility for those transiting to Europe, Asia, and the Americas without the need for a Turkish transit visa.
