Turkish Airlines has announced that it will begin a four-times-weekly service between Istanbul and Sydney starting on December 5, 2024. This new route, initially with a refueling stop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will eventually transition to a non-stop service, according to an official statement from Sydney Airport released on Thursday, September 12, 2024.

The flights will depart Istanbul every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 15:15, arriving in Sydney at 6:20 the following morning. Return flights from Sydney will leave at 20:40 on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, landing in Istanbul at 10:15 the next day.

The route will be operated by Turkish Airlines’ Airbus A350-900 aircraft, which offers 32 business class seats and 297 economy class seats. This marks the airline’s second destination in Australia, following the launch of a three-times-weekly service from Istanbul to Melbourne, which began in March 2024 via Singapore.

The new Istanbul-Sydney route is expected to boost both tourism and business travel between the two nations.