Turkish Airlines plans to expand its intercontinental network by adding nonstop flights to Minneapolis this spring, with a new service to Auckland, New Zealand also planned.
As first reported by Turkish media outlet Turizm Ekonomi and subsequently shared by Ishrion Aviation, the Turkish flag carrier has targeted Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP) as its next North American gateway with nonstop flights from its hub in Istanbul (IST) in April or May this year.
According to the local news outlet, the carrier’s chairman, Ahmet Bolat, announced his intentions at the Turkish Airlines Management Summit 2025 in Antalya.
In addition, the airline plans to launch flights to Auckland (AKL) via Singapore (SIN), consolidating its flight network as the largest in the world, according to Bolat.
15th North American Gateway
Once launched, Minneapolis would become the carrier’s 15th destination in the U.S., adding to existing services to Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Denver (DEN), Detroit (DTW), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle-Tacoma (SEA), and Washington, D.C. (IAD).
The airline could expand its U.S. network even further in the coming months, having first revealed its intentions to enter the Minneapolis market back in June 2014.
At the time, MSP was one of four new U.S. routes suggested by Turkish Airlines, with flights to Charlotte (CLT), Orlando (MCO), and Philadelphia (PHL) also under consideration.
Growing Down Under
Meanwhile, its new service to Auckland would be its third service Down Under, having launched its first-ever flights to Australia in March 2024. Its initial route to Melbourne (MEL) was followed by a second to Sydney (SYD) in December.
Flights from Istanbul to Auckland will initially have a layover in Singapore. However, nonstop services may become available once the airline takes the delivery of its ultra-long-range Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.
Turkish Airlines has one of the world’s largest international flight networks and has added numerous destinations to its roster in recent years. In December 2024, the carrier was officially recognized by the Guinness World Records for flying to more countries (120 across six continents) than any other airline.
“As the only airline to hold this distinction for over a decade, we proudly showcase the strength of our flight network and reinforce our mission to connect people, cultures, and destinations around the globe,” said Bilal Ekşi, CEO of Turkish Airlines.
Some of Turkish Airlines’ more hard-to-reach destinations include Benghazi (BEN) in Libya and Mogadishu (MGQ) in Somalia, while it is set to resume flights to Damascus (DAM) in Syria on Thursday, January 23rd after a ten-year hiatus.