Turkish Airlines (Türk Hava Yolları), founded on 20 May 1933 as Turkish State Airlines, is the flag carrier of Turkey and has been a Star Alliance member since 1 April 2008. As of June 2024, it holds world records by serving 352 destinations across five continents and flying to 131 countries—more than any other airline—while its cargo division, Turkish Cargo, operates 24 aircraft to 82 destinations. The airline expanded internationally in 1947 and introduced its first jet, the McDonnell Douglas DC-9, in 1967, but the 1970s and 1980s brought challenges, including the devastating 1974 crash of Flight 981 near Ermenonville, France, which killed 346 people and was then the deadliest plane crash in history. A new government in 1983 sparked a major turnaround, leading to modernized operations, a state-of-the-art technical center in 1984, and one of the youngest fleets in the world. Today, the airline operates from its main base at Istanbul Airport, owns the low-cost subsidiary AJet, and offers more non-stop destinations from a single airport than any competitor.