Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport welcomed its 50th Airline partner this week when Turkish Airlines touched down in Sydney on Friday. This new flight is an exciting milestone for both the airline and the airport as this is Turkish Airlines first time flying into Sydney.
A brand new route!
On Friday the 29th of November, at 6 p.m. Sydney Airport welcomed its first flight from Istanbul, Turkey. Taking 19 hours to fly the 15,000 km flight path, the new route is from Istanbul to Sydney and vice-versa via Kuala Lumpur. After this first flight, customers have the option of four weekly services that Turkish Airlines will be operating for the new route. By June 2025, Turkish Airlines will extend this service by adding another flight per week.
However, this is not the only plan Turkish Airlines has for the future. The airline has stated that by 2026, they want to introduce an ultra-long-range aircraft for the flights. Currently, the flights operate on a fleet of Airbus A350-900 aircraft. This aircraft has 32 flatbed seats in business class and 297 economy seats. Due to the distance and long flight time, the route has to go via Kuala Lumpur. Turkish Airlines believes that having an ultra-long-range aircraft would mean they would have the potential for the route to be a non-stop flight. This would be a major benefit for the airline as it would be one of the first of its kind.
Further connecting Australia to Turkey.
Although this is Turkish Airlines’ first route to Sydney, it is not its first route into Australia. In March this year, Turkish Airlines debuted a flight route between Melbourne and Istanbul. With the airline now flying out of Australia’s two busiest cities, Turkish Airlines can connect many Australians to Turkish destinations and provide a different way to fly into Europe.
Turkish Airlines CEO, Bilal Eski, is excited about the new flight route due to it being a significant achievement for the airline:
“This momentous occasion marks Turkish Airlines’ longest flight path in history, as we happily add our second Australian city to our flight network…
The arrival of our first flight from Istanbul to Sydney represents our ongoing commitment to connect travellers across the globe, providing a seamless gateway between Europe and Australia with the comfort and hospitality of Turkish Airlines.”
Sydney Airport is happy to welcome Turkish Airlines.
The new flight route is also a significant event for Sydney Airport. Not only is this its first route to Turkey, but Turkish Airlines is also its 50th airline partner.
All of this is a big achievement for Sydney Airport. The CEO of Sydney Airport, Scott Charlton, commented on the excitement of welcoming Turkish Airlines:
“We’re proud to welcome our 50th airline partner Turkish Airlines as they launch their inaugural flight to Sydney, strengthening our international network and offering passengers even more choice and connectivity to Europe and beyond through their extensive hub in Istanbul…
The arrival of Turkish Airlines not only strengthens their offering in our region but also highlights the vital role Sydney plays as a global aviation gateway. We’re also delighted they have chosen Sydney to host their inaugural non-stop services in the years ahead.“
This new connection to Europe further establishes Sydney Airport as a gateway to the continent. Currently, the airport holds 37% of the Australia-Europe Air traffic and hosts two European carriers. This new relationship with the airline increases the possibility of European airlines offering services to Sydney in the future.
A boost to the economy!
Aside from the new connection between Turkey and Australia, the flight routes will help to bring more tourists into Australia as well as provide new jobs within New South Wales (NSW).
John Graham, NSW Minister for Tourism and Jobs, commented on why this new flight is important to NSW:
“We are backing our airports to increase capacity and bring more visitors to NSW, creating jobs and economic growth in our tourism destinations right across the state.
Bringing more passengers into our airports is part of the Minns* Government’s plan to boost jobs and growth in our statewide visitor economy.”
Destination NSW, the state tourism campaign, believes that these new flights will deliver an additional 68,620 inbound seats to Sydney within the first year of conducting the route. Due to this increase in tourists within NSW, Destination NSW estimates that these flights will generate an additional fifty-three million Australian dollars to the visitor NSW economy. Additionally, they believe the flights will create an additional 290 jobs within the state.
Apart from the economic benefits, this new flight makes it easier for Australians to connect with Europe and eventually have a non-stop connection to the faraway continent.
If you would like to book this new route, explore Turkish Airlines wesbite for flight details and prices.
What are your thoughts on this new flight route? What do you think of the potential it opens up for Australian and European aviation? Let us know in the comments or on social media!
*Minns meaning Chris Minns, the Premier to NSW
