Technological revolutions and social transformations that deeply affect human life are occurring much faster than in the past. It has become almost impossible for organizations that cannot keep up with this wind of change to maintain their success for a long time. Although technology is the first thing that comes to mind when innovation is mentioned, the change in all social and cultural dimensions of daily life makes it necessary to consider innovation from a much broader perspective. In this context, innovation is not only the adaptation of new technologies; it is the name of a broad transformation ranging from the management approach of organizations to human resources culture, business models and operational methods. It may be a necessity to adapt to technological innovations; however, it is necessary to pioneer these innovations for sectoral leadership.
Aware of this fact, Turkish Airlines has demonstrated a strong vision by ranking in the top three among the world's leading airline companies in establishing a unit called Corporate Innovation. This vision sees innovation not only as a means to find solutions to problems, but also as a source of energy to continuously create value, make a difference and carry our industry leadership forward. Innovation, corporate development and business development units, which are spread across different operational areas within our broad organizatios structure, have been supported with a more holistic perspective within the framework of Corporate Innovation.
In this context, innovation refers to an end-to-end process from the development and collection of innovative ideas to the application of creative solutions. Turkish Airlines has built a corporate structure that nurtures innovative individuals, establishes team structures that strengthen collaboration, and supports these processes. We strive to make innovation not only a tool but also an integral part of the way we do business.
Within this framework, a comprehensive system has been established which works to improve internal business processes, differentiate our products and services, seize global opportunities and shape the future through experimentation by bringing together internal and external innovation resources. For this purpose, a wide range of tools have been put in place to ensure the contribution of our employees and passengers: Idea competitions, startup and investor platforms, hackathon and ideathon events, acceleration programs, innovation conferences, measurement and information tools, and project teams formed by our employees from different business units are integral parts of Turkish Airlines' innovation ecosystem.
All these systems and tools constitute the cornerstones of the innovation culture that strengthens Turkish Airlines' leadership in the aviation industry today. For us, innovation is not just a goal; it is a compass that guides the future and charts our course.
At the Corporate & Startup Day event hosted by Fast Company Turkey, the ‘Corporate Entrepreneurship Awards 2024’ organized by the Entrepreneurial Institutions Platform found their owners. As a result of the jury evaluation, Turkish Airlines won first place in the ‘Best Intrapreneurship Program’ category with our ‘IDEAPORT Corporate Innovation Program’ project. Mr. Lokman Ökten, Head of Corporate Innovation and Projects, received the award on behalf of the company. The competition aims to encourage new initiatives emerging from within the corporation, the most effective corporation-new venture collaborations and successful intrapreneurship program practices.
Turkish Airlines achieved a great success in the ‘InovaLig’ competition, Turkey's first innovation development program organized annually by the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM), by ranking first in the ‘Innovation Life Cycle’ category. This success achieved in InovaLig's IMP3rove Program once again demonstrates our determination to produce innovative solutions in every field as the flag carrier airline.