He graduated in Aeronautical Engineering from Istanbul Technical University with a B.Sc degree in 1983. Awarded a scholarship by the Turkish Ministry of Industry in 1984, he was educated at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (United States of America), where he obtained a M.Sc degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1986 and another M.Sc in Mechanical Engineering in 1987 from the same university.
Kotil continued his studies there and received his Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering in 1991. He founded and managed the laboratories of aircraft design, structural mechanics and advance computational mechanics. At the same time, Kotil was charged with duties of the manager of the department"s computer center.
From 1994 until 1997, he served as the manager of a technical department at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
Between 2002-2003, he worked as the head of the Research, Planning and Coordination Department at Advance Innovative Technologies Incorporated. in New New York In 2003, he returned to Turkey and was employed by Turkish Airlines in Istanbul becoming its executive vice president in charge of technical affairs
In April 2005, Kotil was appointed to assume the position of the General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the biggest airline company of Turkey. On 1 January 2014, Kotil became President of the Association of European Airlines.
Kotil is member of the Turkish Mechanical Engineering Society since 1991, and currently member of the Board of Governors at the International Air Transport Association.
