Turkish Airlines Plans To Launch No-Stop Flight To Sydney

Turkish Airlines has announced intentions to extend its nonstop flight services with a new long-haul route from Istanbul to Sydney, which would take 17 hours.

Turkish Airlines’ intentions to operate a nonstop flight between Istanbul and Sydney have re-emerged as part of the airline’s strategy for the coming decade. The airline was supposed to inaugurate the route in 2015, but the debut was delayed until now.

According to Executive Traveller, the proposed 17-hour flight would be feasible by introducing new aircraft, such as the Airbus A350-1000 or Boeing 777X, as part of the airline’s strategy to increase its fleet size to over 800 planes by 2033.

While Turkish Airlines intends to be the first airline to offer direct flights between Turkey and Australia, other airlines have recently announced plans for long-distance routes. El Al has announced intentions for a nonstop flight from Tel Aviv to Melbourne beginning in the middle of 2024, making it the first direct connection between Israel and Australia.

In addition, Qatar Airways has resumed its 17-hour service from Doha to Auckland, suspended due to the pandemic.

If approved, the new Istanbul-Sydney route and the Doha-Auckland service will become some of the world’s longest flights, joining Singapore Airlines’ existing Singapore-New York and Singapore-Newark routes as the longest in the world.