Turkish Airlines has touched down in Melbourne for the first time, marking its first destination in Australia.

The service from Istanbul is expected to contribute more than A$132 million ($86 million) annually to the state of Victoria’s economy, creating an estimated 840-plus jobs in the aviation and tourism sectors. Melbourne is Turkish Airlines’ 346^th destination, meaning Melbourne Airport is now served by a record 39 international carriers.

Flights will initially operate three times a week via Singapore, with the Star Alliance member planning to fly nonstop upon the arrival of new long-range aircraft. The inaugural flight used Boeing 777-300ER equipment, with 787-9 and Airbus A350-900 aircraft to take over the service from later this month.

“Melbourne is proudly home to the largest Turkish population in Australia, so we expect these flights will prove particularly popular with people looking to visit friends and relatives,” Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus says.

Preliminary data provided by Sabre Market Intelligence shows O&D traffic of 46,100 two-way passengers between Istanbul and Melbourne during 2023. This compares with about 32,400 in 2019 before the pandemic.

In December, the Australian government granted approval for an increase in the allowable number of weekly flights from Türkiye, boosting the limit from seven to 21. The expanded capacity is set to further rise to 28 flights per week starting from the northern winter season of 2024-25 and eventually to 35 flights per week from the winter season of 2025-26.

The approved frequencies cover flights to Australia's four major international gateways—Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney—along with the forthcoming Western Sydney International Airport, currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2026. Additionally, the authorization includes fifth-freedom traffic rights at two locations in Asia or the Middle East.

The Türkiye, Middle East and Africa region is one of Victoria’s major trading partners, with two-way merchandise trade valued at A$5.48 billion in 2022-23. Daily flights by Turkish Airlines will add 3,650 metric tons of air freight capacity annually.