Turkish Airlines. Photo: Shutterstock Turkey's national airline, Turkish Airlines, has launched its first business lounge in Europe. The giant that flew a record 27.2 million passengers in the third quarter officially inaugurated its new lounge at Edinburgh Airport this week, marking its first lounge onthe European continent and the eleventh in the company's growing global network of business lounges.
The move is another step in Turkish's expansion strategy, which seeks to recreate Istanbul's famous lounge experience beyond Turkey's borders.
The company notes that the new lounge offers a broad and modern service experience, combining elements of Turkish culture and cuisine. Among the notable facilities, the airline mentions:
- Modern and well-equipped rest and relaxation areas
- A baby care room
- Accessible facilities for passengers with special needs.
According to the company, the new lounge is designed to strengthen its presence in Europe and enhance the passenger experience on its global connecting routes. Turkish Airlines currently offers flights from Edinburgh to 356 destinations in 132 countries, one of the most extensive networks in the world.
At the opening ceremony, the company's management emphasized that the move is part of a long-term goal to create an international network of lounges that will reflect Istanbul's high standards in major airports around the world.
The new lounge joins the increase in demand for flights to and from Turkey and the strengthening of economic and tourist ties between Scotland and the international destinations to which Turkish operates connecting flights.
The Edinburgh lounge launch marks the continuation of Turkish’s strategy to establish itself not only as an airline, but as a global hospitality brand. Over the past four years, the airline has opened lounges in many countries outside of Turkey, and plans to continue expanding its lounge map at leading airports.
The launch of the new lounge comes at a time when Turkish Airlines continues to demonstrate significant growth despite challenging industry conditions.
In its third-quarter 2025 report, the company said that it managed to maintain a growth streak of 18 consecutive quarters, despite global trade disruptions and technical challenges in the engine sector.
As mentioned earlier, in the July-September quarter, the company carried 27.2 million passengers, a new quarterly record in its history, and increased passenger capacity by 8.2% compared to last year, and 43% above pre-COVID levels. The company's revenue in the quarter rose by about 5% to about $7 billion, with passenger revenue increasing by 6.1% thanks to high demand. However, declining yields and ongoing operating pressures led to a 21.3% decline in operating profit, which amounted to $1.1 billion.