In 1987, as a young lawyer who had just moved from İzmir to Istanbul, I was trying to adapt to my new city and new life. While figuring out how to practice law in a city I didn’t yet know, I came across a recruitment announcement from Turkish Airlines (THY) in the newspaper and decided to apply. Those were the days when recruitment was done first through written exams and then oral interviews.
After passing the written exam, I was invited to the oral interview. Following interviews conducted by the then Chief Legal Advisor, the devoted Beşiktaş supporter Atayar Aygün (whom I remember with respect), along with Yaşar Özçelebi, one of the pioneers of the commercial unit, and their esteemed managers, I was informed that there was a need for a legal professional in the commercial unit. Just when I thought I would be joining the legal department, I instead began working in the company’s commercial department.
Thanks to the late Nejat Karabulut’s determined guidance, encouraging me to learn aircraft types by looking at aircraft engines, and my experience working in the commercial unit, which I consider the aorta of any company, I truly understood the value of that decision two years later when I transferred to the Turkish Airlines Legal Department.
When I first started, I thought I would work for a while and then leave to return to private legal practice. However, I came to realize how true the saying is: “Once you breathe in the smell of aircraft exhaust, you can never leave aviation.” I still see this to be true today, as I continue to work in the field of aviation law.
Throughout my time at THY, the knowledge I gained in the commercial department always proved valuable. Both understanding how the business operates and gaining insight into people supported me throughout my career. The friendships I built there consistently turned into meaningful, beneficial advantages.
In the coming weeks, through my upcoming writings, you will better understand just how significant the saying is: “In aviation, someone who started work a day earlier knows a day more than the one who started later.”
Stay healthy,
Stay aviation-minded.