Turkish Cargo will more than double its Istanbul hub throughput to 4.5 million tonnes a year when its second SMARTIST facility enters service by the end of 2028, a cornerstone of the carrier's Vision 2033 strategy.

The new facility will sit next to the existing SMARTIST terminal and nearly match its footprint. Turkish Airlines is investing US$2.3 billion across MRO and cargo operations to fund the expansion, which the carrier expects will nearly double the facility's revenue generation capacity once fully operational by 2033 and create more than 3,000 jobs.

The expanded ecosystem, branded SMARTIST 2.0, will rely on expanded automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) capacity, deeper integration of the airline's Work Order System, and additional temperature-controlled infrastructure to scale higher-yield segments.

What does the revenue mix look like by 2033?

Turkish Cargo expects more than 55 percent of revenue to come from e-commerce and special cargo by 2033, a shift the carrier supports with autonomous and temperature-controlled handling designed for pharmaceuticals, perishables and time-critical freight.

At Turkish Cargo, the investment is deliberately not siloed. Ali Türk, Chief Cargo Officer of Turkish Airlines, said: "We do not view fleet expansion, infrastructure, and technology as separate investments. Instead, we manage them as connected parts of a single strategy. Our primary goal is clear: maintain and strengthen our position among the top three global air cargo brands by 2028."

Türk added that the airline monitors the profitability of its investments across all financial parameters while building the logistics ecosystem toward its 2028 strategic goals.

Freighters and bellies as one network

Turkish Cargo plans freighters and passenger belly capacity as a single network rather than parallel systems. Wide-body freighters anchor long-haul routes requiring high payload and schedule control, carrying time-critical shipments, aviation components, pharmaceuticals and e-commerce freight. Belly capacity across Turkish Airlines' passenger network adds frequency and regional depth, letting the carrier respond to demand shifts without committing dedicated metal.

Deployment decisions weigh demand structure, connection performance, product profile, yield quality, flight duration, slot constraints and operational feasibility. The carrier states it does not expand capacity mechanically: when it strengthens long-haul corridors with freighters, it preserves regional flexibility through belly capacity to keep the system profitable.

"When we plan network expansion, we do not approach it as simply adding destinations. Each new route must strengthen connectivity around Istanbul and support long-term profitability," Türk said. "Today, we serve 114 direct cargo destinations across 134 countries. When combined with the passenger network of Turkish Airlines, our reach extends to 375 destinations worldwide."

New destinations must clear a screen covering market size and growth potential, origin-destination flows, product mix, competitive intensity, operational feasibility and yield quality — with both connectivity and profitability as conditions of entry.

How does Turkish Cargo protect utilisation and reliability?

Recurring peaks in pharmaceuticals, perishables and e-commerce feed into summer and winter master schedules, aircraft selection and rotation planning well in advance, rather than reactive management. Turkish Cargo adjusts routes, frequencies and aircraft types based on historical performance, market trends and commercial forecasts, and uses the flexibility between scheduled and charter operations to add capacity during peaks.

When demand softens, the carrier reallocates capacity to stronger markets to avoid underutilisation.

Digital systems underpin the operational control. In-house tools include:

• CAPRON, the apron management system coordinating resources in real time to protect connection times;
• TKGO, the online booking platform feeding capacity planning directly;
• a Truck Guidance System providing real-time dock allocation and controlled landside goods acceptance.

At SMARTIST, automation and in-house systems keep warehouse, apron and load control aligned, Türk said. Digital booking penetration is already deep in some regions: in Asia-Pacific, more than 90 percent of Turkish Cargo bookings are processed through digital channels, mainly via TKGO. That penetration gives the carrier earlier demand visibility, and capacity and pricing decisions are taken on actual booking behaviour rather than assumptions, Türk stated.

The 4.5-million-tonne SMARTIST 2.0 target and the top-three brand ranking by 2028 now frame the carrier's execution test: converting automation, digital booking flows and an integrated freighter-belly network into measurable share gains in a market where rivals are also expanding hub capacity.