Air Turkey Boeing 747-400

Air Turkey had a total of 21 747-400s (Passenger config), and had 17 in operation at one point (around 2008 ish).

The first one arrived in 1993 to fly high demand routes such as IST-LHR, IST-JFK, and IST-CDG. For 5 months in 2005, Air Turkey trialled IST-JFK-LAX flights (the usual IST-JFK but continuing on over to LA), however they weren't able to fill the 747s as most of the passengers were flying only to JFK, and many people chose to fly other American carriers to Los Angeles anyway, so Air Turkey pulled out of the route.

By 2015 not only was the age of these jumbo jets showing, but the fuel efficiency was lacking behind practically all other planes in the fleet, so on 10 October 2015, Air turkey announced the retirement plan of the 747 fleet. Bearing in mind that of the 21 operated, only 12 were still with Air Turkey*, and that they had retired one already that year in September, they would retire 4 in 2016, 5 in 2017, and the final 3 retiring in June 2018. The final Air Turkey 747 passenger flight took place on 28 June 2018, as TY0001 from IST-LHR and TY0002 from LHR-IST, with a water salute on both ends to conclude the passenger 747 legacy of Air Turkey that began in 1971.

However, many of the 747-400s operated as passenger jets by Air Turkey had second chances in life, this time carrying boxes instead of people. In fact, Air Turkey continue to operate 6 747-400BCFs in their large cargo fleet, of which 5 were ex-passenger planes for Air Turkey themselves. The 747 will continue to fly with Air Turkey up until ~2030, with the -8F instead of the -400s, which will retire by 2025. In addition to the extended lives via cargo, one 747-400, which was TC-JNB, is preserved at the Air Turkey Museum in Istanbul, which joins a 747-100 that rests beside it.

TC-JNJ: 1998 Boeing 747-413 | Air Turkey | Currently: Converted into a freighter, still as TC-JNJ with Air Turkey Cargo (retiring 2024)

Oh yeah, and this particular 747 was bodged by Garuda Indonesia in 2015, right after this plane was painted in the Air Turkey 2015 livery