TAFA Graduates More than 50 Cadets from Dual Cohorts on Same Day, a First in Academy History

Türkiye – Turkish Airlines Flight Academy (TAFA), the abinitio pilot training academy of Turkish Airlines, marked a milestone by graduating its 123rd and 124th cohorts on the same day, a first in the academy’s history. A total of 50 pilot candidates have completed their core training and were officially sent off for Type Rating as part of their transition into Turkish Airlines' operational fleet.

TAFA earlier in the month announced that it had expanded its domestic training footprint with the addition of Zafer Regional Airport as its sixth training base. Operations at the new location commenced on April 15, 2025. The new campus aims to produce 40 graduates annually, with plans to increase this number in the coming years. ​

• Zafer Airport becomes the sixth TAFA training base, joining existing facilities in Aydın, Ephesus, Uşak, Adana, and Bodrum.
• The initial deployment will include four training aircraft stationed at Zafer Airport.
• The location was selected for its low air traffic density and high operational efficiency, providing an optimal environment for cadet pilot training.
• The expansion supports TAFA’s strategy to scale up its capacity to meet growing pilot demand across the Turkish Airlines Group.
• The academy currently operates a fleet of 50 aircraft and plans to expand to 107 aircraft by Q1 2027, with 47 new aircraft expected by the end of 2025.
• Over the past five years, TAFA has graduated more than 900 pilots and recorded 220,000 flight hours as of December 2024.

Source: Turkish Airlines Flight Academy Photo Credit: Turkish Airlines Flight Academy