Bilal Ekşi

Bilal Ekşi was born in 1968 in İkizdere, Rize, Turkey, and graduated from Yıldız Technical University in 1989 with a degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering. He began his career in 1989 as an Electronics and Communications Engineer at Turkish State Railways, later becoming Workshop Manager at Istanbul Ulasim A.S., where he contributed to significant transport projects.

Ekşi joined Turkish Airlines in 2003 as Head of Overhaul Workshops, overseeing aircraft maintenance operations. In 2005, he became Chief Ground Operations Officer and accomplished significant projects, particularly improving on-time departure performance. From 2008-2009 he served as Chief Production Officer at Turkish Technic, followed by General Manager of Cyprus Turkish Airlines in 2010 and Executive Vice President at Turkish Engine Center (a joint venture with Pratt & Whitney) from 2010-2011. He was appointed Director General of Civil Aviation in April 2011, during which time Turkey was re-elected as a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization Council—66 years after its previous membership.

Career history

• Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chairman, Turkish Airlines (October 2016–April 2026)
• Director General of Civil Aviation (April 2011–2016)
• Executive Vice President, Turkish Engine Center (2010–2011)
• General Manager, Cyprus Turkish Airlines (2010)
• Chief Production Officer, Turkish Technic (2008–2009)

In his tenure as CEO, Ekşi was awarded the 2022 Executive Leadership Award at the Airline Strategy Awards and was named to the World Tourism Forum Institute's Power List 30. Turkish Airlines under his leadership transported 85.2 million passengers in 2024, a 2.1% increase from 2023, and the airline became recognized as flying to more countries than any other carrier globally. Ekşi retired in April 2026, succeeded by Ahmet Olmustur as CEO.

What Ekşi could bring to future aviation leadership roles: His three-decade career spanning technical maintenance, ground operations, regulatory oversight at the highest civil aviation level, and strategic airline leadership demonstrates rare breadth across the aviation ecosystem. His documented success improving operational metrics (on-time performance), managing complex joint ventures with international partners, and positioning an airline for sustained global expansion while maintaining regulatory excellence positions him as a strategic advisor or board-level executive capable of bridging technical and commercial aviation operations.