Turkish Airlines Will Start Its New Longest Route Next Week
By Dr. James Pearson - Journalist | Simple Flying
That did not take long. Despite only being announced in September, Turkish Airlines' first flight from Istanbul to Sydney—which will operate via Kuala Lumpur—will take off towards the end of November. It will begin a few days after Delta Air Lines starts its new longest domestic route.
Sydney flights will commence a few days earlier than previously expected. It will capture the peak summer demand Down Under ahead of the all-important Christmastime period. The New South Wales Aviation Attraction Fund is supporting it financially.
Not only will Turkish Airlines now serve two Australian cities, but Sydney will also become the carrier's longest route by distance and maximum block time. Of course, it'll be even more noteworthy when Istanbul-Sydney is eventually served non-stop.
Turkish Airlines to Sydney
On November 28, a week after this article is researched and written, the Star Alliance member will launch its inaugural Sydney service. Of course, it will be covered in my jam-packed weekly routes article.
Generally, Turkish begins significant new long-haul routes using the Boeing 777-300ER (shown below), its highest-capacity equipment. This is mainly to accommodate dignitaries, the press, etc. Indeed, its first two services (November 28 and 30) will be on the 349-seater before the 329-seat Airbus A350-900 takes over on December 2. The one-stop service will then remain in the A350's hands.
Photo:?EvrenKalinbacak | Shutterstock
Sydney will operate four times weekly. Unlike Melbourne flights, which operate via Singapore rather than the Malaysian capital, Turkish Airlines does not (yet?) have fifth freedom traffic rights to/from Sydney. Notice the awful times on the ground in Kuala Lumpur en route to Turkey.
Turkish Airlines' new longest route
The top five are shown below. Notice that three of them started, or will begin, in 2024.
The first four entries are one-stop in both directions. In contrast, the fifth entry, Mexico City, is non-stop to the Mexican capital but one stop back. Indeed, it would be first if only non-stop flights were considered, with the individual legs of the others being insufficiently long to make it to the top five.
Los Angeles ranks sixth longest overall, although it would be second if only non-stop operations were analyzed. Next year, the Californian city will increase to a record 17 weekly flights.
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