Doubling up Down Under – Turkish Airlines to start Sydney flights | Airlines

Turkish Airlines has revealed plans to commence flights between Istanbul and Sydney by the end of 2024. The carrier will operate one-stop flights between the Turkish city and Sydney’s Kingsford-Smith International Airport (SYD) from December 2024 with services operating via Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. However, direct flights are expected to replace these services when the carrier receives its first Airbus A350-1000 in 2026, the airline has said.  

The addition of Sydney services follows the introduction of Turkish Airlines’ first flights to Australia when it began flights between Istanbul and Melbourne in March 2024 using Boeing 777-300ERs on the route. These flights now operate six times per week using the carrier’s latest Airbus A350-900s via Singapore.  

The Australian government granted Turkish Airlines fifth freedom rights to operate to the country in late 2023, allowing the carrier up to 35 weekly services to Australia initially with Middle East or South-East Asian stopovers as part of the deal.