Turkey’s national carrier Turkish Airlines said on Thursday that passenger numbers grew 10.6 percent to 18.1 million in the first seven months of 2011.

The carrier also said its load factor fell 2.4 percentage points to 71.1 percent in the period, according to a filing with the Istanbul Stock Exchange.

Based in Istanbul, Turkish is one of the fastest growing airline companies in the world. A Star Alliance member, it carries about 25 million passengers a year.