SYDNEY- Turkish Airlines (TK) continues its strategic international expansion, recently launching services to Sydney (SYD), Australia, and exploring potential routes to New Zealand.
The carrier’s chief commercial officer, Ahmet Olmuştur, has conducted preliminary discussions regarding New Zealand market entry, though flight commencement is not anticipated in 2025.
Turkish Airlines New Destination
The Sydney route represents the airline’s second Australian connection, complementing its existing Melbourne service. This expansion elevated Turkish Airlines’ global destination count to 351, marking a significant milestone in the carrier’s network development strategy.
CEO Bilal Ekşi acknowledged significant operational challenges, particularly concerning aircraft availability. At least 35 aircraft remain grounded due to engine-related issues with Airbus A320 planes, creating potential operational constraints.
Despite receiving compensation from the engine manufacturer, Ekşi expressed concerns about the potential impact on airline operations.
Simultaneously, Olmuştur is actively exploring potential new destinations in China, demonstrating the airline’s continued commitment to international network growth. Despite operational challenges, Turkish Airlines maintains its ambitious 10 percent growth target.
New Zealand Routes
Let’s see how and where Turkish Airlines can fly in New Zealand. It’s obvious they can launch flights from its main hub, Istanbul Airport (IST).
According to population statistics, there are only a few thousand Turkish New Zealanders (those who are from Turkey but reside in New Zealand). So the Visting Friends and Relatives market is quite narrow, however, the tourist industry can attract many leisure travelers, especially from Europe, who can transit through the Istanbul hub.
Istanbul is also one of the fastest-growing hubs in Europe after the pandemic.
Also, as per the reports, the Turkish community mostly lives in the Auckland region, somewhere around 80% of the total Turkish New Zealander population.
Turkish Airlines could operate flights between Istanbul and Auckland (AKL), the major city in New Zealand through a strategic stopover in Singapore, just like the Istanbul-Sydney route.
According to GC map data, the flight distance between Istanbul and Auckland is 10,606 miles or 17,068 Kilometers. No Aircraft can currently fly this much distance non-stop.
Possible Flight Route
Hypothetically considering they plan to operate this route via Singapore (SIN) then it will be as follows:
| From | To | Initial Heading | Magnetic Heading | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IST | SIN | 099°(E) | 092°(E) | 5,393 mi |
| SIN | AKL | 129°(SE) | 129°(SE) | 5,225 mi |
| Total | 10,619 mi |
Also, Turkish Airlines’ current IST-SIN flight takes over 10 hours to complete. Similarly, an Air New Zealand (NZ) SIN-AKL flight takes close to 10 Hours. Both of these flights are operated by Boeing 777s.
So yes a flights between Istanbul and Auckland via Singapore can take over 20 hours to complete plus 4-5 hours of time spent at the airport. Almost a day.
Turkish Airlines all widebody aircraft which includes Airbus A330s, A350-900s, Boeing 777s, and 787s can operate this route. But the A350 and 777 are most likely to serve this sector.
Also Read: Is Air India Planning New Zealand Flights?
Strong Growth
Turkish Airlines exhibited financial robustness in 2024 despite regional geopolitical challenges.
CEO Bilal Ekşi reported that while the airline experienced losses from Middle East events, strategic route management enabled passenger number increases and maintained profitability.
In the first nine months of 2024, Turkish Airlines achieved a net income of $2.7 billion, with revenues increasing 7.8 percent annually to $17.01 billion.
From January to October, the carrier transported 72.2 million passengers, representing a 1.3 percent year-over-year growth.
Feature Image by Eurospot | X
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