Editing Turkish Airlines (section)

===1980s and 1990s===
[[File:Boeing 707-321B, Turkish Airlines AN1104611.jpg|thumb|250px|left|A [[Boeing 707]] operated by Turkish Airlines at [[Heathrow Airport]] in 1984]]

The airline was plagued by several issues in the 1980s and 90s. It developed a reputation for poor service compared to competitors and flight delays, with 47 out of 100 flights not departing on time.{{Sfn|Şekerli|2021|p=863}} It also endured hijackings and suffered seven accidents between 1974 and 1983. The most notorious was the 1974 crash of [[Turkish Airlines Flight 981]], when an aircraft design flaw led to a faulty cargo door breaking off in flight near [[Ermenonville]], [[France]], resulting in the deaths of 346 people. At the time of the accident, THY981 was the worst plane crash of all time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/04/archives/345-killed-as-jumbo-jet-dives-into-french-forest-in-historys-worst.html|title=345 KILLED AS JUMBO JET DIVES INTO FRENCH FOREST IN HISTORY'S WORST CRASH|website=The New York Times|date=4 March 1974|access-date=16 March 2024}}</ref>

A new government came to power [[1983 Turkish general election|in 1983]] which recognized THY's importance as Turkey's gateway to the world, beginning the airline's makeover into a modern operation. It would go on to maintain one of the youngest fleets in the world. Security was intensified, causing one shipper to compare it to Israel's [[El Al]], at least in terms of delays.<ref name="Turkish Airlines Inc." />

THY built a new, state-of-the-art technical center at [[Istanbul Atatürk Airport|Yeşilköy Airport]] in 1984. The airline was capable of both light and heavy maintenance on many different aircraft types. The technical staff then made up one-quarter of the airline's 6,000 employees, according to [[Air Transport World]]. In 1984, the company's capital was raised to 60 billion TL as it was classified as a [[State-owned enterprises of Turkey|state economic enterprise]]. Three years later, the capital was raised again, to 150 billion TL.

[[File:Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-400; TC-JDY@ZRH;02.10.1995 (8353903774).jpg|thumb|Turkish Airlines [[Boeing 737]] at [[Zurich Airport]] in 1995]]

By the mid-1980s, THY had a fleet of 30 aircraft. It was flying approximately three million passengers a year to 16 domestic destinations and three dozen international ones. The airline was Turkey's largest source of foreign currency. Turkish Airlines began operating [[Airbus A310]]s in 1985, allowing the addition of flights to Singapore in 1986. A route to [[New York City]] via [[Brussels]] was added in 1987.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 June 2020 |title=THY, 87 yılda küresel marka haline geldi |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/sirkethaberleri/ulasim/turkiyenin-bayrak-tasiyicisi-thy-87-yilda-kuresel-marka-haline-geldi-/657368 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625231741/https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/sirkethaberleri/ulasim/turkiyenin-bayrak-tasiyicisi-thy-87-yilda-kuresel-marka-haline-geldi-/657368 |archive-date=25 June 2020  |access-date=25 December 2022 }}</ref>

The company posted losses in 1987 and 1988, largely due to high payments on its dozen new Airbus A310s, according to ''[[Air Transport World]]''. The fleet also included 11 [[Boeing 727]]s and nine Douglas DC-9s. THY ended the decade with 8,500 employees.<ref name="Turkish Airlines Inc." />

The airline ordered five [[Airbus A340]] aircraft with option for five more in 1990 to be able to fly to [[North America]]n and [[East Asia]]n destinations non-stop. The first A340 was delivered three years later, in 1993.{{Sfn|Şekerli|2021|p=865}}

The company suffered in the global aviation crisis following the [[Gulf War|Persian Gulf War]] and would not [[break-even|break even]] again until 1994. However, the business was again booming in the mid-1990s, with the greatest growth coming from North American destinations. {{Citation needed|date=December 2016}} THY launched a nonstop flight to New York City in July 1994.

The company's capital continued to be raised, reaching 10 trillion TL in 1995. During that year, the airline also converted three of its Boeing 727s to dedicated freighters. The DC-9s had been sold off. The company posted a $6 million profit on revenues of $1 billion for the year. While profitable, THY had to contend with Turkey's exorbitant inflation, making capital improvements difficult.

The domestic market was deregulated in 1996, allowing new scheduled competition from charter airlines. At the same time, larger international carriers were providing stiff competition on routes to Western Europe. THY entered into marketing agreements with other international airlines to enhance their competitiveness. The company teamed with [[Japan Airlines]] to offer service to [[Osaka]] and [[Tokyo]] in 1997 and 1998. Other jointly operated flights soon followed with [[Austrian Airlines]], [[Swissair]], and [[Croatia Airlines]].<ref name="Turkish Airlines Inc." /> In 1997, THY began to operate flights to [[Chicago]] as its second destination in the US.<ref>{{Cite web |last=iha.com.tr |title=Türk Hava Yolları'nın Chicago'da 20. yılı |url=https://www.iha.com.tr/haber-turk-hava-yollarinin-chicagoda-20-yili-673034/ |access-date=25 December 2022 |website=İhlas Haber Ajansı |language=tr}}</ref>