Last Updated on 20/04/2023
As part of the country’s rebranding strategy from “Turkey” to “Türkiye,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced last week his intention to change the international name of the national air carrier Turkish Airlines.
Türkiye decides to rebrand Turkish Airlines
In his speech made last week, the Turkish president Erdoğan stated that “Turkey” does not exist anymore. He explains that the country stands internationally as “Türkiye.” Therefore, in the same context and as part of the same rebranding campaign, the president also decided to rebrand the national air carrier. Thus, he affirmed that “Türk Hava Yolları” would replace the “Turkish Airlines” expression on the company’s aircraft.
Turkish Airlines selected as Türkiye’s most valuable brand in 2022
We believe that the decision to rebrand Turkish Airlines would positively confirm the country’s rebranding campaign. In fact, the strong position of Turkish Airlines globally will help to spread Türkiye’s new label worldwide. Actually, the company was selected as the most valuable Turkish brand in 2022. Moreover, it ranked 19th among the world’s top 50 airlines.
Turkish Airlines transported 24 M passengers between January and May
Turkish Airlines (THY) reported on Thursday that it carried 24 million passengers in the first five months of 2022. Thus, it surpasses pre-pandemic levels. In fact, during the five months, the load factor was 73.5%, 72.5 % for international trips, and 82.8 % for domestic routes.
The airline also transported 673,000 tons of cargo and mail, with 376 aircraft on the ground as of May.
“Türkiye,” a complete rebranding campaign
Under the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the decision to change the country’s name to Türkiye is part of a larger rebranding plan. Its goal is to raise the global value of the country’s brand. Furthermore, “Türkiye” depicts Turkish culture and history more importantly, according to President Erdoğan’s statement. In addition, it refers to Turks and the Turkish language. As a result, he stated that the goal was to make it a global and distinct identity.
Relabelling actions started in December
Turkey’s renaming effort began months ago, in December. The government has started a process to transform the country’s name from Turkey to Türkiye. As a result, it tries to improve the country’s brand image. Therefore, “Türkiye” has been used in official media for months. Furthermore, Turkish Airlines flights and other promotional movies have featured a state ad campaign encouraging foreigners to use “Türkiye.”
In addition, the Foreign Ministry changed its name to “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Turkiye.” Furthermore, the president earlier mandated that “Made in Türkiye” be used on exported goods rather than “Made in Turkey.”
“Türkiye” has received positive feedback
Local attitudes are diverse and contested. Some people welcome the government’s move. They believe that using “Türkiye” promotes Turkish culture and origins in a better way. They also see it as a bold step to raise the country’s international profile. Others express that avoiding any possible misinterpretation of the bird’s name or any other English term is preferable. They are adamant that any dependent country doesn’t have to choose a word that represents its uniqueness based on a foreign language rule. Moreover, the international community started to approve of Türkiye’s decision. In fact, the UN approved the use of Türkiye after receiving an official request from Ankara.
Türkiye’s strategy to embellish its global status
The name rebranding approach aligns with the country’s vision for 2023. In reality, the Turkish government has set a lofty goal for the country’s economic development. As a result, various sectors such as energy, trade, real estate, foreign policy, and tourism are included in the improvement strategy.
This was proclaimed in 2013 by then-Prime Minister (now President) Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who stated his desire to see this vision realized by 2023. It would be the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic’s founding.
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