Turkish Airlines is further expanding its transatlantic network by launching its first route between Istanbul and Denver this summer.
The fast-growing carrier will start operating the route to Denver on 11 June when the Colorado city will become Turkish Airlines’ 14th US destination.
Istanbul-Denver services will initially operate three times per week on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday using Airbus A350-900 aircraft fitted with 316 seats. Frequency will then be increased to four weekly flights with an extra service on Sunday from 9 July.
Fatih Durmaz, Turkish Airlines’ vice president of sales in the Americas, said: “We are very glad to celebrate yet another important gateway opening in the United States.
“The Denver expansion represents our first-ever endeavour in the Rocky Mountain region of the US as we increase our presence across the continent.”
The announcement of the new transatlantic route comes as the airline said it had carried 83.4 million passengers during 2023, an increase from 71.8 million passengers in 2022.
Turkish Airlines increased international capacity by 16 per cent last year with passenger numbers reaching 53 million, while domestic flights saw a 23.5 per cent year-on-year increase in capacity and carried 30 million travellers.
“This was due to outpacing its peers with faster capacity increases, leveraging its agility, extensive flight network and a highly qualified workforce maintained throughout the pandemic,” said the airline in a statement.
While global aviation capacity still lagged 2019 levels by 12 per cent in 2023, according to IATA figures, Turkish Airlines exceeded its pre-pandemic capacity by 27 per cent last year.
The airline is continuing its upward momentum in 2024 with traffic for the first quarter of the year rising to 18.5 million – up by 8.4 per cent on the same period last year. This included a 10.3 per cent rise in international passengers to 7.6 million.
