Turkish Airlines has launched services between Istanbul and
Sydney, with the new route becoming the longest in its network.
The airline’s four-times-weekly service commenced last week
and becomes its second Australian destination following the introduction of flights
to Melbourne earlier this year.
The flights are operated with the carrier’s new Airbus
A350-900 aircraft featuring 32 flatbed seats in business class and 297 seats in
economy. Flights are operated via Kuala Lumpur and take 19 hours. However, the airline said it plans to introduce direct, non-stop
services from Sydney to Istanbul in the future.
“The arrival of our first flight from Istanbul to Sydney
represents our ongoing commitment to connect travellers across the globe,
providing a seamless gateway between Europe and Australia,” said Turkish
Airlines CEO Bilal Ekşi.
“Once we receive our aircraft capable of
conducting the journey in a single leap, we look forward to further expanding
our offering in the near future with Australia’s first non-stop flights to
Istanbul.”
The airline has also been in the news in recent months for developments in its distribution strategy which saw its content withdrawn from Sabre, the introduction of its NDC-based TKCONNECT platform and the launch of EDIFACT booking surcharges.