Turkish Airlines intends to launch flights from Istanbul to either Sydney or Melbourne by the end of 2023, with plans to serve both cities as the market develops – and right now, Melbourne appears to be the front-runner.

“We think it’s time to show the Turkish Airlines logo in Australia,” Chairman Ahmet Bolat remarked overnight following a visit from an Australian delegation including Victoria’s Governor General. “Among the topics we discussed at our meeting, the inclusion of Australian cities in our ever-expanding flight network was the foremost, and we focused on Melbourne in particular.”“ If the delivery of our new generation wide-body aircraft is done as promised by the manufacturers, we aim to start with three flights a week from Istanbul to Sydney or Melbourne before the end of 2023.”

Those flights would involve a stopover in Asia – Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are considered the most likely candidates – and would rely on either the Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
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As previously reported by Executive Traveller, another appealing twist on the popular Kangaroo Route will take wing by mid-2024 with the launch of direct flights between Tel Aviv and Melbourne by Israeli airline El Al, creating the first non-stop link between Israel and Australia.