That did not take long. Despite only being announced in September, 
Turkish Airlines’
first flight from 
Istanbul
to Sydney
—which will operate via Kuala Lumpur—will take off towards the end of November. It will begin a few days after Delta Air Lines starts its new longest domestic route.
Sydney flights will commence a few days earlier than previously expected. It will capture the peak summer demand Down Under ahead of the all-important Christmastime period. The New South Wales Aviation Attraction Fund is supporting it financially.
Not only will Turkish Airlines now serve two Australian cities, but Sydney will also become the carrier’s longest route by distance and maximum block time. Of course, it’ll be even more noteworthy when Istanbul-Sydney is eventually served non-stop.
Related
Turkish Airlines Grows Chicago & Los Angeles Flights To Record 17 Weekly
They will now have up to three daily flights.
Turkish Airlines to Sydney
On November 28, a week after this article is researched and written, the Star Alliance member will launch its inaugural Sydney service. Of course, it will be covered in my jam-packed weekly routes article.
Generally, Turkish begins significant new long-haul routes using the Boeing 777-300ER (shown below), its highest-capacity equipment. This is mainly to accommodate dignitaries, the press, etc. Indeed, its first two services (November 28 and 30) will be on the 349-seater before the 329-seat Airbus A350-900 takes over on December 2. The one-stop service will then remain in the A350’s hands.
Photo: EvrenKalinbacak | Shutterstock
Sydney will operate four times weekly. Unlike Melbourne flights, which operate via Singapore rather than the Malaysian capital, Turkish Airlines does not (yet?) have fifth freedom traffic rights to/from Sydney. Notice the awful times on the ground in Kuala Lumpur en route to Turkey.
- Istanbul-Kuala Lumpur: TK174, 13:15-04:20+1 (10h 5m)
- Kuala Lumpur-Sydney: TK174, 05:40-16:30 (7h 50m)
- Sydney-Kuala Lumpur: TK175, 20:40-01:55+1 (8h 15m)
- Kuala Lumpur-Istanbul: TK175, 03:55-10:15 (11h 20m)
Image: GCMap
Turkish Airlines’ new longest route
The top five are shown below. Notice that three of them started, or will begin, in 2024.
The first four entries are one-stop in both directions. In contrast, the fifth entry, Mexico City, is non-stop to the Mexican capital but one stop back. Indeed, it would be first if only non-stop flights were considered, with the individual legs of the others being insufficiently long to make it to the top five.
Photo: JetKat | Shutterstock
Los Angeles ranks sixth longest overall, although it would be second if only non-stop operations were analyzed. Next year, the Californian city will increase to a record 17 weekly flights.
|
Nautical miles (km) |
Max. block time* |
Route |
Comments (November 2024-August 2025, as of November 21) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
8,082 (14,968) |
21h 35m |
Istanbul-Kuala Lumpur-Sydney |
New route. Four times weekly from November 28. Initially the 777-300ER, then the A350-900 |
|
7,940 (14,705) |
21h 5m |
Istanbul-Singapore-Melbourne |
The route started in March 2024. Three times weekly A350-900 |
|
7,107 (13,162) |
19h 10m |
Istanbul-São Paulo-Santiago de Chile |
New route. Santiago de Chile gets its first Turkish Airlines flight on December 18. After an initial 777-300ER service, it’ll be four times weekly A350-900 |
|
6,623 (12,266 |
18h 20m |
Istanbul-São Paulo-Buenos Aires |
São Paulo joined its map in 2009, and Buenos Aires three years later. Daily A350-900 |
|
6,337 (11,736) |
18h 50m |
Istanbul-Mexico City outbound; Mexico City-Cancun-Istanbul inbound |
Joined its network in 2019. Stops in Cancun back to Turkey due to Mexico City’s high elevation, which impacts take-off performance with a heavy load. Served 11 times weekly 787-9 |
|
* Either direction |
What else is coming?
In early November, Turkish Airlines confirmed that flights to Phnom Penh and Lima, which have been on its wishlist for some time, would take off in 2025. Details for both cities are currently unknown, although Phnom Penh will likely be served on a tag-on basis. Will Lima be non-stop or one-stop (say, via Bogotá)? Time will tell.