ACT Airlines
ACT Airlines is a privately held Turkish cargo ACMI/wet-lease and charter operator flying two Boeing 747-481SF freighters for global airfreight carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and special-cargo shippers, headquartered in Pendik, Istanbul.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersPendik
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ACT Airlines does
ACT Airlines (legal entity ACT Havayolları A.Ş., also branded AirACT) is a privately held Turkish air cargo operator founded in 2004 and headquartered in Pendik, Istanbul. The company provides Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI) wet-lease services and ad-hoc charter flights to global airfreight carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, direct shippers, and other airlines, with 7/24 online customer support. It serves specialized cargo segments including hazardous, perishable, valuable, dangerous, live animal, pharmaceutical, automotive, and humanitarian relief shipments.
The company's operational backbone is a fleet of two Boeing 747-481SF (Special Freighter) aircraft (registrations TC-ACF and TC-ACG), manufactured in 1992 and 1993, powered by GE CF6-80C2 engines with PW901A APUs. Each aircraft offers 112,500 kg of cargo capacity (30 PMC pallets main deck plus 9 PMC lower deck), totaling 225 tons of fleet capacity. ACT is the only Turkish operator flying the B747-400 and was the first Turkish air-cargo operator to obtain IOSA certification (held since 2007, registered 28 August 2008). Its management system is compliant with ICAO, EASA, IOSA, ISO 9001:2015, and ISO 27001:2013, and it holds special navigation and operational authorizations including MNPS, B-RNAV, P-RNAV, RNP 10, RVSM, and LVO CAT IIIA.
ACT operates a B2B sales-led go-to-market model with no publicly disclosed pricing; ACMI/wet-lease contracts are negotiated as multi-year engagements while ad-hoc charters are quote-based per flight. The customer base includes enterprise wet-lease partners (notably Emirates SkyCargo), brokers, freight forwarders, and direct shippers. The company employs 251–500 people across commercial, dispatch, ground operations, technical, and airworthiness functions. ACT was ranked #41 overall and #12 in cargo in Turkey's Top 500 Services Exporters list in 2017 and recorded an EU SAFA 2017 ramp inspection score of 0.175, well below the EASA average of 0.33.
ACT Airlines firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ACT Airlines
- Legal name
- ACT Airlines INC (ACT Havayolları A.Ş.)
- Website
- https://actairlines.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- ACT Airlines is a privately held Turkish cargo ACMI/wet-lease and charter operator flying two Boeing 747-481SF freighters for global airfreight carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and special-cargo shippers, headquartered in Pendik, Istanbul.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ACT Airlines industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Air Cargo Services
- NAICS
- Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812), Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation (481212)
- SIC
- Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522), Aircraft & Parts (3720)
- akta.pro primary industry
- ACMI / Wet-Lease Cargo Operators (THABAEAC)
Keywords
Where ACT Airlines is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pendik
Offices1 record
Markets served
ACT Airlines business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) Wet-Lease: Recurring/contracted revenue from providing dedicated aircraft with crew, maintenance, and insurance under ACMI or wet-lease agreements to major carriers of the global airfreight industry. The customer undertakes fuel, demand, and yield risk while ACT provides the operating solution.
- Ad-Hoc Charter Services: Short-notice charter flight revenue for special, heavy/outsized, valuable, hazardous, perishable, dangerous, live animal, humanitarian/relief, pharmaceutical, and automotive cargo. Includes UN humanitarian aid operations immediately after disasters. Operated with 7/24 online customer support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom quote-based ACMI/wet-lease pricing per flight operation |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Ad-hoc charter pricing per flight, quote-based |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
ACT Airlines product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ACT Airlines provides ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) wet-lease services and ad-hoc charter flights for global air cargo customers using a fleet of two Boeing 747-481SF freighters with a combined 225-ton capacity. The company supplies outsourced aircraft operating solutions to major airfreight carriers as well as short-notice charter services worldwide for special, heavy/outsized, hazardous, perishable, pharmaceutical, valuable, dangerous, live animal, humanitarian and automotive cargo. ACT operates 7/24 Flight Operations Control Center, Ground Operations, and Flight Dispatch teams supporting customers globally.
Product overview
ACT Airlines operates a single-line cargo aviation business rather than a multi-product software platform; its portfolio consists of two integrated service offerings — ACMI/Wet-Lease Services and Ad-Hoc Charter Services — delivered through a fleet of two Boeing 747-481 SF freighters (TC-ACF and TC-ACG) with a combined 225-ton capacity. ACMI Services form the scheduled/repeat-customer core, providing crewed, maintained, and insured extra capacity to major global carriers, while Ad-Hoc Charter Services complement them with short-notice worldwide flights for specialized cargo (hazardous, perishable, pharmaceutical, humanitarian, automotive, live animals, etc.). Together these two service lines and the two B747-481SF aircraft comprise ACT Airlines' complete product offering.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ACMI / Wet-Lease Services Provision of dedicated Boeing 747-481SF freighters including Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance under ACMI or wet-lease agreements, delivering extra capacity to major global airfreight carriers. Under this arrangement the customer takes on fuel, demand and yield risk while ACT provides crew, maintenance and insurance. Delivered as multi-year contracted capacity outsourcing.
- Ad-Hoc Charter Services Short-notice charter flights worldwide with 7/24 online customer support, covering special cargo, heavy and outsized cargo, valuable cargo, hazardous materials, perishable goods, dangerous goods, live animals, humanitarian/relief cargo, pharmaceuticals, and cars/automotives. Operated by ACT Airlines on a per-flight quote basis via its commercial team.
- Boeing 747-481SF Freighter (TC-ACF) Boeing 747-481 Special Freighter (MSN 25645), manufactured 1993, registered TC-ACF with Turkish DGCA. Powered by GE CF6-80C2 engines with PW901A APU and CAT III approach capability. Main deck holds 30 PMC pallets, lower deck 9 PMC pallets; total capacity 112,500 kg. Operated by ACT Airlines for ACMI/wet-lease and charter services.
- Boeing 747-481SF Freighter (TC-ACG) Boeing 747-481 Special Freighter (MSN 25641), manufactured 1992, registered TC-ACG with Turkish DGCA. Part of ACT Airlines' two-aircraft 747-400 fleet with combined 225-ton capacity for global cargo ACMI and charter operations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Ranked #41 overall and #12 in cargo industry in Turkey's Top 500 Services Exporters (2017)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use ACT Airlines
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
ACT Airlines technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
ACT Airlines partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Clyde & CominorClyde & Co serves as ACT Airlines' legal office for insurance matters. The firm co-organized the Air Law Workshop at Leiden University in November (with ACT Board Member Hamza Tığlay participating), which addressed leasing & financing methods, airport management issues, aviation claims, air transport liberalization, competition laws, and international conventions (Chicago, Warsaw, Montreal, Cape Town).
- Turkish DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation)coreACT Airlines operates under Turkish DGCA regulatory oversight. Turkish DGCA renewed ACT's Continuing Airworthiness Management Organization Approval Certificate following an audit on 16-18 October 2017 and approved Mr. Enes Göçmen as Airworthiness Review Staff under SHY M and SHT M regulations. ACT is also the registration authority for its Boeing 747-481SF fleet (registrations TC-ACF and TC-ACG).
- Emirates (Emirates SkyCargo)coreEmirates wet-leases cargo aircraft from ACT Airlines, including the Boeing 747-400 freighter involved in the October 2025 Hong Kong International Airport runway incident. ACT Airlines operates the aircraft under a wet-lease on behalf of Emirates for cargo services from Dubai.
- Kariyer.netminorKariyer.net hosts ACT Airlines' job postings and recruitment page; ACT directs all job applications to its kariyer.net page and also sources candidates from varied career portals, consulting firms, and individual applications.
- Leiden UniversityminorCo-organizer (with Clyde & Co) of the Air Law Workshop in Leiden, Netherlands on November 16-17, where ACT Board Member Hamza Tığlay participated. Recognized as one of the most competent schools in the world on air law.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ACT Airlines competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Western Global Airlines: Western Global Airlines operates a fleet of Boeing 747 and MD-11 freighters providing ACMI/wet-lease and charter services to global customers. It is directly comparable to ACT in freighter ACMI business model, special-cargo capability, and customer base of major cargo carriers.
- Cargolux: Cargolux is a European-based all-cargo airline operating Boeing 747 freighters on scheduled and charter services worldwide. It is directly comparable to ACT in widebody 747 freighter ACMI/charter operations and serves similar major cargo carrier and forwarder customers.
- MNG Airlines: MNG Airlines is a Turkish cargo ACMI and charter operator providing aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance to global freight customers — the same core business model as ACT Airlines, with a comparable A300 and 777 freighter fleet and overlapping customer base of brokers, freight forwarders, and airlines.
- ASL Airlines Belgium: ASL Airlines Belgium is a European ACMI/charter cargo operator running a Boeing 747 freighter fleet for integrators and freight forwarders. It is comparable to ACT in freighter ACMI model, special-cargo handling, and short-notice charter capability.
- National Airlines: National Airlines is a U.S.-based ACMI/charter cargo operator flying Boeing 747 freighters for government, commercial, and humanitarian customers. It is directly comparable to ACT in ACMI/wet-lease, charter, and special-cargo mission profiles (including government/humanitarian work).
Broad incumbents
- Turkish Airlines Cargo: The cargo division of Turkish Airlines, the flag carrier of Turkey, operates a large widebody freighter fleet and provides scheduled and charter air-cargo services globally. It is the most direct domestic incumbent to ACT Airlines and competes for Turkish export air-cargo volume, albeit at much larger scale and as part of a passenger-cargo network.
- Atlas Air: Atlas Air Worldwide is one of the largest global ACMI/wet-lease cargo operators, with a large 747 freighter fleet serving integrators, carriers, and the U.S. military. It is comparable to ACT as a widebody ACMI peer but operates at substantially larger scale and broader geographic scope.
- AirBridgeCargo (Volga-Dnepr Group): AirBridgeCargo, part of the Volga-Dnepr Group, operates a Boeing 747 freighter fleet on scheduled and ACMI cargo services globally with a focus on special and outsized cargo. It is comparable to ACT in 747 ACMI operations and heavy/special cargo mission profile, at materially larger scale.
- CMA CGM Air Cargo: CMA CGM Air Cargo is the air-cargo arm of the global CMA CGM shipping group, operating widebody freighters (including 747F) on scheduled and charter services. It is comparable to ACT as a 747F operator serving global freight customers and increasingly active in ACMI and charter.
Emerging players
- Solinair: Solinair is a Slovenian ACMI/charter cargo operator providing narrowbody and 737 freighter capacity to integrators and forwarders. It is comparable to ACT as an ACMI/charter specialist but operates smaller aircraft and competes in adjacent rather than widebody 747 ACMI.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ACT Airlines social profiles
Digital presenceACT Airlines compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
ACT Airlines financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ACT Airlines leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
ACT Airlines funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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ACT Airlines M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ACT Airlines
What does ACT Airlines do?
ACT Airlines provides ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) wet-lease services and ad-hoc charter flights for global air cargo customers using a fleet of two Boeing 747-481SF freighters with a combined 225-ton capacity. The company supplies outsourced aircraft operating solutions to major airfreight carriers as well as short-notice charter services worldwide for special, heavy/outsized, hazardous, perishable, pharmaceutical, valuable, dangerous, live animal, humanitarian and automotive cargo. ACT operates 7/24 Flight Operations Control Center, Ground Operations, and Flight Dispatch teams supporting customers globally.
Is ACT Airlines a public or private company?
ACT Airlines is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ACT Airlines founded?
ACT Airlines was founded in 2004. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is ACT Airlines based?
ACT Airlines is headquartered in Pendik.
How does ACT Airlines make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) Wet-Lease is the primary driver. The others are ad-Hoc Charter Services.
Who are ACT Airlines's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Western Global Airlines, Cargolux, MNG Airlines, ASL Airlines Belgium and National Airlines. Broad incumbents are Turkish Airlines Cargo, Atlas Air, AirBridgeCargo (Volga-Dnepr Group) and CMA CGM Air Cargo. Solinair is listed as an emerging player.
Does ACT Airlines have an API?
No public API is recorded for ACT Airlines.
What industry is ACT Airlines in?
ACT Airlines's product category is Air Cargo Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THABAEAC, ACMI / Wet-Lease Cargo Operators. Its NAICS code is 4812 and its SIC code is 4522.