Turkish Airlines will begin its flights to Australia from March
Turkish Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the world, will start its flights to Australia from March. This initiative is expected to exert downward pressure on airfare prices ahead of the European summer. Initially, the airline will operate flights from Istanbul to Melbourne, with a stop in Singapore, three times a week starting March 16. Turkish Airlines, which has always been interested in operating flights to Australia, only applied for the necessary air rights at the end of last year.
Their request was approved last month by the federal government following a controversy concerning another air rights scandal, which centered around the rejection of Qatar Airways' request to double its flights to Australia.
Turkish Airlines plans to launch this route as soon as its fleet is ready for direct flights between Melbourne and Istanbul. The company placed an order in November for over 220 Airbus aircraft, including 15 A350s, which will be capable of direct flights between Istanbul and the east coast of Australia.
Natalie Hutchins, Victoria's Minister for Employment, stated that if Turkish Airlines can operate daily flights between Istanbul and Melbourne, it would result in an additional 109,500 seats on incoming flights to Melbourne each year, contributing over $132 million annually to the state’s economy.
