Can Toplar
Chief Financial Officer
Responsible for the financial governance of the operation and the group's aviation investments.
Company
Forty years of turning journeys into memories above the clouds
İstanbul Airlines was founded in 1985 and grew into one of Türkiye's largest private airlines. Today, under Toplar Group ownership, the same brand operates business jets to a standard our group is willing to put its name on.
Heritage
From 1985 to today
1985Founded in Istanbul
199721 aircraft, 2.4M passengers yearly
2024Business-jet return
TodayPrivate charter operator
Team
Leadership
Ahmet Pandır
International Coordinator
Coordinates international partners and client requirements as well as business development across the network.
Doğan İnanç
Chief Operating Officer
Leads flight operations, crew standards and operational control across the certificate.
Hüseyin Oflaz
ACCOUNTABLE MANAGER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Holds regulatory accountability for the AOC and answers directly to the civil aviation authority for the conduct of every flight.
Toplar Group
Five decades of building enduring businesses
Founded in 1970 in Istanbul by entrepreneurs Özcan Toplar and Ercan Toplar, Toplar Group has grown over five decades into a diversified industrial and investment group, built on export leadership, vertically integrated business models and international ambition.
The Group began as a pioneer of integrated leather-garment production and became Türkiye's leading exporter in the 1970s, expanding into textile and fashion manufacturing through the 1980s and 1990s. In the mid-1980s it acquired the İstanbul Airlines group, and today invests across hospitality and resorts, real estate, mining and technology, and aviation.
Aviation is a natural extension of that discipline: capital-intensive, heavily regulated, and unforgiving of shortcuts.
toplargroup.com- 1970
- Group founded in Istanbul
- 55+
- Years of ownership
- 5
- Core industries
- 20+
- Companies
- Aviation operations — business jets, private charter and Istanbul ground handling
- Hospitality and resorts across Türkiye and Northern Cyprus
- Large-scale real estate development
- Mining, technology and venture investments
OUR HISTORY
The İstanbul Airlines story
Heritage
Istanbul Airlines From 1985 to today
1985
İstanbul Airlines founded
İstanbul Hava Yolları was founded in December 1985 by private investors in Istanbul and commenced operations on 14 March 1986 with Sud Aviation Caravelle and BAC One-Eleven aircraft.
1987
Expanding capacity
The airline absorbed Marmara Air, added further Caravelles in 1987 and a Boeing 737-400 in 1988, securing contracts with major European tour operators.
1990s
One of Türkiye's leading airlines
By 1997 the airline operated 21 aircraft, carried some 2.4 million passengers a year and held roughly 10% of the charter market to Türkiye. It was the first Turkish airline to run a vertically integrated model: maintenance and technical services, in-flight catering, duty-free retail, ground handling, tour operations, hotel management and ticket offices across Europe.
2000s
Airport services
The company continued as a premier ground handling provider — aircraft handling, passenger services, cargo management, technical maintenance and ramp support — alongside a portfolio of airport duty-free stores.
2024
Return to the air
İstanbul Airlines returned to aviation with exclusive air taxi and business-jet services, opening a new chapter of the brand built around private charter for a global clientele.