Frequently Asked Questions
General Cargo
1) I want to send cargo from Turkey to abroad/from abroad to Turkey. What should I do?
2) Should I send my cargo as luggage with a passenger or as cargo?
You can get information on passenger luggage at 0212 463 63 63 / (extension: 12526).
Apart from luggage accompanied by passengers, cargo shipping to/from abroad is considered dutiable goods and requires customs procedures.
If departing from Turkey, you must contact cargo agencies in Turkey; for those arriving in Turkey, you must contact our contracted General Sales Agencies (GSA) abroad.
3) Do you transport cargo in passenger flights?
Turkish Airlines transports cargo to all domestic and foreign destinations in its schedule by cargo as well as passenger flights. For information on the passenger flight schedule, please click here.
4) I would like to ship cargo from Turkey to abroad, but Turkish Airlines do not have direct flights to this destination. How can I send my shipment?
Turkish Airlines transports your cargo to every destination you require, by truck/flight connection from the destinations with direct flights. For more detailed information, please contact our Cargo Reservation Department.
5) Where should I apply for compensation claims related to lost or damaged shipments?
For your compensation claims related to lost or damaged shipments, please contact Turkish Airlines’ Cargo Operation Control Department. You can also send an e-mail message to cargoclaim@thy.com.
6) What should I do to take delivery of cargo sent from abroad?
You can track your cargo online with its airway bill number or the date and number of the related flight. If your cargo has arrived, you must contact the Delivery Service of the Cargo department at the arrival point with your certificate of receipt (letter of proxy, written certificate from your company, identity information, etc.).
7) Where is cargo transported on the aircraft?
Cargo is transported in the same compartment with the passenger’s luggage.
8) Do you have any service that enables me to track my cargo for 24 hours per day?
Thanks to the Dial Cargo service, you can track your shipment fast and safely, 24 hours per day, and get information on the cargo you have sent or you will receive. Please use your airway bill number to track your shipment at any time.
TELEPHONE: Dial Cargo: (+90) 212 212 463 55 56
ONLINE: You can access our website at http:\\ mobil.thy.com and the Cargo Tracking section and track your cargo with your AWB number.
9) Can I take delivery of a shipment sent from abroad in my name?
NO; since dutiable cargo requires customs procedures, only the individual whom you have appointed your agent, can take delivery of your dutiable cargo.
10) Can I take delivery of a shipment sent from abroad outside office hours?
To clear your cargo from custom controlled areas on weekends and outside regular office hours, you must get special permission from customs and pay an overtime charge to Turkish Airlines.
11) When should I take delivery of my cargo at the latest? Is there a waiting fee?
Shipments arriving in Turkey with the status of NORMAL CARGO are subject to a WAREHOUSE CHARGE as from two workdays after their arrival date, while SPECIAL CARGO is subject to a WAREHOUSE CHARGE as from the arrival time. Other countries also have charging policies at their arrival points, but the charges and waiting times vary by country.
12) Can I insure the shipments that I send via Turkish Cargo?
It is not obligatory to insure the domestic or international cargo shipments with Turkish Airlines. Turkish Airlines Cargo does not incorporate an insurance service. Our customers who wish to insure their cargo should contact private insurance companies.
13) What are the flight temperatures for perishable goods?
In all the aircraft in our fleet, cargo is transported at +2˚ C to +8˚ C. There is not a constant temperature practice.
14) Is transportation at – (minus) ºC possible in the flights?
No. Frozen cargo is transported within proper packages, by using dry ice, ice battery or watery ice.
Domestic Cargo Shipping
1) How can I send my shipments? Do you pick them up at my office?
Since our service is airport-to-airport, you must deliver your cargo at the cargo department at the airport in your city and take delivery of it at the airport in the arrival point.
2) Do you have domestic cargo flights?
Our domestic cargo shipping is via scheduled passenger flights.
3) When should I deliver the cargo?
You must deliver your cargo at least one hour and thirty minutes prior to the departure time of the flight on which your shipment will be sent.
4) How long does it take for our shipments to be delivered to the recipient?
Shipments can be delivered to the recipient within approximately one hour after the arrival time of the scheduled flight.
5) Which documents are required for taking delivery of the shipment?
For shipments sent to an individual, the identity card, the driving license or the passport of this individual must be submitted. For shipments sent to a company or business, a certificate of authorization, written on the letterhead of the company, must state that the individual who will take delivery of the cargo has been duly authorized by the related company.
6) Can I send valuable documents as cargo?
We do not transport documents with declared value on it (checks, warrants, bonds, etc.) or valuable materials and items made of valuable materials.
7) Can I send cash-on-delivery (COD) cargo?
Cargo is paid cash on shipment (COS) (by cash or credit card).
8) When I bring you cargo, do you package it?
You have to deliver your cargo within a package of proper quality and size.
9) How do you price domestic shipments with customs-entry connections?
You must call the domestic cargo department to determine the fee for this type of cargo. The fees on the website apply to normal domestic shipments.
10) Should we make a reservation for domestic cargo shipments?
No reservation is required for domestic shipments.
11) What information/documentation do you request when I bring you my cargo?
If the sender is
*an individual, first and last name, identity card number
*a company, the trade name, tax office and number
Cargo Rates
1) I want information on domestic cargo transportation rates.
You can find out the domestic cargo rates online from the inquiery page.
2) I represent a company operating in Turkey and I want to send a shipment from Turkey to a foreign destination. What are your rates for international cargo shipping from Turkey to abroad?
Please contact our IATA cargo agencies for every type of shipping. For the phone and fax numbers of the IATA cargo agencies, please click here
3) What are the rates for cargo transportation from another country to Turkey?
For cargo arriving in Turkey, please contact our contracted General Sales Agencies (GSA) abroad. For contact information of our General Sales Agencies (GSA), please click here.
Cargo Delivery
1) How can I track my cargo coming from abroad?
To get information on your shipment, you must know its airway bill number. With the airway bill number, you can get detailed information on your shipment from the Turkish Cargo Delivery service or website.
2) Where and how can I obtain the documents related to my shipment?
You can get the documents related to your shipment from the Turkish Cargo Delivery Service at the Atatürk Airport cargo terminal. The documents are delivered only to individuals authorized by the receiving company, upon presentation of the authorization certificate control and payment of the related charges.
3) Where will I pay the charges related to my cargo?
You can pay the charges related to your cargo as cash on delivery at Turkish Cargo Delivery service or to the account of the Turkish Airlines Cargo department in Garanti Bank's corporate branch (Branch code: 382, account no: 6200020-3).
Funeral Transportation
1) I want to transport a human remains from abroad to Turkey. What should I do?
All types of funeral transportation from abroad are made through agencies. For detailed information on this matter, please contact the agencies abroad.
2) I want to transport human remains from Turkey to abroad. What should I do?
Any type of transportation for human remains from Turkey to abroad must be made through agencies. For detailed information on this matter, please contact the authorized agencies in Turkey.
3) I want to transport a human remain within domestic lines. What should I do?
The death certificate issued by a hospital must be submitted and the human remains must be put within a coffin of proper size and standards.
4) What are the fees for domestic human remains transportation?
A standard fee is charged for the body transportation between any two points in Turkey, without any exceptions:
*100 TL if the deceased is under 12 years of age
*250 TL if the deceased is over 12 years of age.
5) How long does it take to take deliveries of the human remain?
The human remain is delivered within 30 to 45 minutes after the arrival time.
Damaged Cargo/Compensation
1) My delivered cargo is damaged. What should I do? Where should I apply?
For domestic cargo shipments:
The company or individual who is authorized to take delivery of the cargo must apply to the Turkish Airlines offices in writing,
1. Immediately after the damage has been determined and within 14 days after the delivery,
2. within 21 days after the delivery, in cases of delayed delivery,
1. Within 120 days after the issuance of the domestic air receipt, in cases of delayed delivery or of failed delivery.
(If the recipient avoids accepting the air receipt or the cargo or if he/she cannot be duly notified, the sender will again have the right of disposition.)
Detailed information on domestic transportation rules is available on the back page of the Turkish Airlines Domestic Air Cargo Receipt.
For international cargo shipments:
The company or individual authorized to take delivery of the cargo must apply to the Turkish Airlines offices or the Cargo General Sales Agencies representing the Turkish Airlines in writing,
1. Immediately after the damage has been determined and within 14 days after the delivery,
2. Within 21 days after the delivery, in cases of delayed delivery,
3. within 120 days after the issuance of airway bill, in cases of delayed delivery or of failed delivery.
Detailed information on international transportation rules is available on the back page of the Turkish Airlines Airway Bill.
2) I want to make a compensation claim. Which documents are required?
1. Letter of claim issued, signed and stamped by the receiving/sending firm/individual or firm/individual authorized by them, as recorded on the airway bill (letter of claim should clearly describe the problem, the reason for the claim, and the amount claimed)
2. Master Airway Bill
3. House Airway Bill
4. Purser’s Report
5. Commercial Invoice (except for personal belongings)
6. Packing List
7. Authorization Certificate (if the compensation claim is laid by third parties)
8. Certificate of Release (if the compensation claim is laid by insurance companies)
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Live Animals
From Turkey to abroad:
You must contact the Passenger Reservation Department if you want to travel on the same flight with your pet. You must contact the cargo agencies affiliated with IATA (International Air Transport Association) if you want to send your pet as cargo via a scheduled flight, since such cargo shipments are subject to customs duty and require the customs processes, issuance of airway bill, pricing, packaging, etc. by an individual authorized by you.
From abroad to Turkey:
You must contact our sales offices in the relevant country, if you want to travel in the same flight with your pet or to send your pet as cargo via a scheduled flight.
In a domestic line trip within Turkey:
You must contact the Reservation Department if you want to travel on the same flight with your pet. Your pet will be shipped by the Domestic Lines Cargo as domestic cargo via the first available flight.
2) Can I send as cargo my domestic rabbit or bird?
We can only transport cats, dogs (except for certain species), and aquarium fish as cargo. We do not transport birds of any kind.
3) Are there restrictions for live animal transportation?
For cargo shipments from Turkey to abroad, only the following live animals are accepted;
* Aquarium fish
* Cats
* Dogs
* Frogs
* Leeches
* Bees
* Tortoises/turtles, transportable in multiple containers,
* Crawfish, crayfish, etc., which are identified as food and seafood items according to Tact 2.3
For cargo shipping from a foreign destination to Turkey and from one foreign destination to another, outside of Turkey, only the following live animals are accepted, though there are some exceptions;
* Live aquarium fish
* Frogs and crawfish
* Crayfish
* Bees
For domestic shipping:
The following live animals are accepted, if the flight type is suitable:
* Aquarium fish
* Cats
* Dogs
* Frogs
* Leeches
* Bees
* Tortoises/turtles, transportable in multiple containers,
* Crawfish, crayfish, etc., which are identified as food and seafood items according to Tact 2.3
4) Are there any species of dog which are forbidden on the aircraft for cargo shipment?
The transportation of some aggressive dogs is forbidden, because these animals are difficult to deal with in the case of an emergency. These are:
* American Pit-bull Terrier
* American Staffordshire Terrier
* Bull Terrier
* Staffordshire Bull Terrier
* Japanese Tosa
* Dogo Argentino
* Doberman
* Rottweiler
5) How can I transport my one-month old puppy?
The animal must be at least two months old.
6) If I send my dog as cargo, do you feed it?
Sufficient food and water with feeding instructions are given to the animals delivered for transportation, considering the time from the departure to the arrival. Their needs are met accordingly.
7) Does Turkish Airlines transport living animals in all types of aircraft?
Except for flights that exceed 3.5 hours via our B-737 series aircraft, we transport live animals along with the passengers and as cargo in all of our aircraft.