Turkish Airlines Targets Australia, Latin America Growth

FARNBOROUGH—Turkish Airlines is set to expand its operations in Australia by the end of the year, with plans to either increase frequencies to Melbourne or add a new route to Sydney.

Speaking at the Farnborough Airshow, chairman Ahmet Bolat tells Aviation Week that the Istanbul-based carrier is also aiming to grow its footprint in Latin America, with new routes to cities in Chile and Peru.

“We will grow in Australia,” Bolat says. “Maybe in two years we’ll have daily flights to both Melbourne and Sydney, but later this year we'll either increase the frequency of Melbourne or add Sydney. We are still debating.”

Turkish Airlines began flights to Australia in March, operating from Istanbul Airport to Melbourne Airport via Singapore Changi Airport. The one-stop service runs three times per week using Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

Bolat indicates that the Star Alliance member will either increase the Melbourne route to daily before the end of the year or launch a one-stop service to Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, offered four times per week. Daily nonstop flights to both destinations are expected by 2026, once the airline has the necessary aircraft.

However, Bolat notes the carrier might retain a one-stop option due to passenger preferences. “Sometimes a one-stop is more preferable than 17 hours nonstop—we will have both products,” he says.

In Latin America, Turkish Airlines is eyeing new routes to Santiago, Chile, and Lima, Peru. The airline also plans to start flying to Rio de Janeiro after Turkey and Brazil moved to liberalize air travel in January.

According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, Turkish Airlines currently serves eight destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Bogota, Buenos Aires, Cancun, Caracas, Mexico City, Panama, and Sao Paulo.

Bolat also outlines plans to increase service to Denver to daily—a route that launched in June—and grow Detroit frequencies from 11X-weekly to double-daily.

"The U.S. market is very important for us," he says, adding that Turkey's government aims to increase inbound tourists from the U.S. to 5 million, up from about 1.5 million currently.