Turkish Airlines will fly to Melbourne, Australia

Turkish Airlines holds the title of “the airline flying to more countries than any other airline in the world”. The airline flies to 345 destinations across 129 countries in five continents currently. Now, it has now announced that it will soon start flying to Melbourne in Australia, the 6th continent & 130th country that it will fly to.

6th continent!

Starting 15th March 2024, Turkish Airlines will operate direct flights between Istanbul and Melbourne via Singapore. The 3-weekly service, operating on Instabul-Singapore-Melbourne-Singapore-Istanbul route, will operate with the following timings:

• Istanbul-Singapore
• Departure time: 17:30
• Arrival time: 08:50 (the next day)
• Flight time: 10 hours and 20 minutes
• Flight number: TK168
• Frequency: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

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• Singapore-Melbourne
• Departure time: 10:20 (the next day)
• Arrival time: 20:40 (the next day)
• Flight time: 7 hours and 20 minutes
• Flight number: TK168
• Frequency: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays

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• Melbourne-Singapore
• Departure time: 22:30
• Arrival time: 03:00 (the next day)
• Flight time: 7 hours and 30 minutes
• Flight number: TK169
• Frequency: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays

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• Melbourne-Singapore
• Departure time: 04:30 (the next day)
• Arrival time: 11:15 (the next day)
• Flight time: 11 hours and 45 minutes
• Flight number: TK169
• Frequency: Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays

These flights will be operated by Turkish Airlines’ Boeing B787-9 Dreamliners featuring 30 lie-flat Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and 270 standard Economy Class seats in a 3-3-3 configuration.

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Today is an important day for us. We have realized our goal of reaching the continent of Australia, which we have been successfully working on for a while, with the confirmed flight date.

We have a significant global value that distinguishes us from our competitors as we are the airline that flies to more countries than any other in the world. Maintaining this valuable mission is a very strong motivation that drives us to work harder, more devotedly, and with more enthusiasm. With this motivation, we are excited to add Melbourne as our 346th destination to our flight network. Australia, with its natural beauty and hospitable people, becomes the 130th country and 6th continent under our wings.

said Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bolat, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines.

The timings of flights in the summer schedule will vary by +/- 1 hour. The flights are supported by the Victorian Government and Melbourne Airport. Melbourne is home to Australia’s largest Turkish community and one of the largest trading centres of Victoria, probably the reason why Turkish Airlines has chosen Melbourne over Sydney for its first foray into Australia.

We are delighted to meet Australians with Turkish Airlines’ award-winning service quality and unique flight network. In the coming years, we plan to strengthen our presence in this beautiful country by increasing both the frequency of our flights and the number of our destinations. Also, as we bring the Turkish and Australian people closer and strengthen the bonds between our countries, we aim to increase bilateral tourism, trade, and business opportunities.

Bolat added.

Turkish Airlines will provide convenient connection opportunities to the European, Middle Eastern, Balkan, and African markets via Istanbul. The airline says that the next aim is to introduce nonstop flights to Australia, once the airline acquires new aircraft capable of operating ultra long-haul routes.

Featured image by Wikipedia/Adam Moreira

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