DALLAS — Not many people realize how many years of thinking, planning, and executing go into organizing an almost flawless system of air cargo logistics to deliver a single piece of cargo from one side of the world to another.

From the public’s perspective, it may be as simple as writing a few addresses on a box and clicking “send” from a laptop or a mobile phone. Companies such as Turkish Airlines (TK) have ensured that it remains this easy since the opening of the new Istanbul Airport (IST) in 2018.

Through its facilities at SmartIST, the carrier can handle more than 2 million tons of cargo every year, shipped to around 300 cities worldwide on either passenger or cargo-dedicated flights. TK invited Airways to explore this logistics marvel on-site in October and discover how the company delivers your cargo, no matter where you are.

What’s SmartIST?

SmartIST is the commercial name of the 850-square-foot facility that receives, handles, and delivers all the airline's air freight in transit through IST between TK flights.

Inside the building, more than 3,000 employees are in charge of shortening the transit time of each container from flight to flight, as more than 70% of the cargo treated is in transit and does not start or end its journey in Istanbul.

Istanbul's advantageous geographical location supports this. The largest city in Türkiye is in the center of enormous population centers such as Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. This creates a massive demand for a stopover logistics hub, just as the former city of Constantinople played this crucial role in the ancient Silk Road.

To support the high volume of incoming cargo in and out of SmartIST during the 1,500 average daily operations in Istanbul, the terminal has a capacity of 17,000 bulk cargo positions and 2,000 ULD positions for all the payloads that need to wait longer for their scheduled departure time.

Remember that some airplanes, like the Boeing 737 family, of which 80 units fly for TK, have a cargo hold designed only to fit bulk pieces and not in designated containers like the A320 family.

Cargo Can Also Fly Under Your Seat

Turkish Cargo's freighter subsidiary operates a fleet of 18 fully dedicated cargo aircraft. These are 10 Airbus A330-200Fs and 8 Boeing 777-Fs, and they receive special treatment when dispatching flights in and out of Istanbul Airport.

Their parking positions are usually as close as possible to the SmartIST facilities, and the larger jet, the 777-F, would require a maximum total crew of 12 people to load and fly the plane. This crew includes 2-3 pilots, 1-2 loadmasters, and 6-7 ground staff.

Of course, the precise number depends on the total payload dispatched and the flight duration. The Boeing 777 Freighter can carry a maximum payload of 106,000kg, or 234,000 lbs.

However, fully dedicated cargo flights only make up part of TK's total cargo deliveries. Around 54% of all loads are transported on board scheduled passenger flights, which means that urgent air freight may be loaded below your seat on any given flight.

This choice is made to take advantage of the carrier's uncountable flight frequencies to around 300 destinations worldwide. While dedicated Turkish Cargo routes are only scheduled to substantially higher-demand destinations, the rest of the freight is transported on any of TK's 350 passenger planes.

Adapting to Any Cargo Nature

During our visit to the Turkish Cargo & SmartIST facilities, we discovered that the company handles and delivers numerous products globally. The airline is certified to fly delicate payloads such as perishable goods or vaccines, which must be transported in a specific temperature range.

Because of that, TK profoundly impacted the speed at which COVID-19 vaccines were delivered to its patients worldwide via IST, even though the SmartIST facilities were not fully operational then. 

Apart from perishable goods, Turkish Cargo operates a special section dedicated to live animals traveling from one side of the world to another. From small cats and dogs to enormous cows or zebras, the airline guarantees the safe and quick transport of animals, and a team of veterinarians ensures that every animal does not fall ill during this journey.

Did you know all the processes that happen simultaneously when you wait for your cargo to arrive at your home or office? It is very likely that many of your products have traveled at some point on board a TK flight and have transited through the enormous SmartIST facilities.

Turkish Airlines expects the second phase of these sorting facilities to be fully operational by 2027. With that, the total cargo capacity is expected to double, reaching a peak of more than 4.5 million tonnes of valuable air freight.