Turkish airlines as a soft power tool in the context of Turkish foreign policy

Abstract

The aim of the thesis is to demonstrate the close relationship between Turkish Airlines and Turkish foreign policy. Overall, it is found that Turkish Airlines as a national airline company has always been affected by the developments in Turkish foreign policy in history. However, since the 1980s Turkish Airlines has been openly used by Turkey as a foreign policy tool to facilitate its opening up to new countries, regions and continents. It is also suggested that despite the privatization of Turkish Airlines, the Turkish state is still very influential in the decision-making process that manifests itself in the area of foreign policy. In that sense, Turkish Airlines acts in accordance with the two main pillars of Turkey in the Middle East, which are establishing visa free travel and signing free trade agreements with the countries in the region. Furthermore, Turkish Airlines is a major tool of Turkey's opening to the African continent not only with its flights but also its contribution to humanitarian aid. In the former Soviet Union and the Balkans, Turkish Airlines contributes to Turkey's political, economic and cultural potential to develop close ties with the countries that declared their independence in the post-Cold War period. The involvement of Turkish Airlines in those regions parallel to the developments in Turkish foreign policy adds up to Turkey's attraction in the minds of foreign people. Hence, Turkish Airlines as a national airline company has become a soft power tool that promotes Turkey's image and the ability to influence the behavior of other countries to get the outcomes that it desires.