Turkish Airlines launches Sydney-Istanbul flights

Turkish Airlines will begin flights between Sydney and Istanbul in December 2024, giving travellers a new pathway into Europe and beyond – along with a welcome dash of competition to help raise airline standards and bring down airfares.

As with Turkish Airlines’ Istanbul-Melbourne flights, there’s a stopover in Asia – but while travellers to and from Melbourne have a short rest in Singapore, the Star Alliance member has chosen to break the 20-hour Istanbul-Sydney journey at Kuala Lumpur.

And non-stop flights to Istanbul are on the way, with a long-range Airbus A350-1000 set to begin direct Sydney-Istanbul flights in late 2026.

For now, starting Wednesday December 4, TK’s red-tailed Airbus A350-900s will connect Istanbul and Sydney via Kuala Lumpur with four flights a week. 

• TK174 will depart Istanbul at 3.15pm, arriving into Kuala Lumpur at 6.20am the following day; it’s then wheels up at 7.40am to reach Sydney at 6.30pm
• TK175 leaves Sydney at 8.40pm (the inaugural will be Thursday December 5), landing in Kuala Lumpur at 1.55am the following morning; at 3.55am the 11-hour trek to Istanbul begins, with a 10.15am arrival

Tickets for Turkish Airlines’ Sydney flights are due to go on sale this evening, starting at AUD$1489 for a return economy ticket.

Turkish Airlines already has two daily flights to Kuala Lumpur, where business class passengers, TK Miles&Smiles Elite and Elite Plus frequent flyers and their Star Alliance Gold equivalents have access to the Plaza Premium lounge.

Kuala Lumpur is also a natural fit for Turkish Airlines, given that Türkiye and Malaysia are largely Muslim nations.

In addition to carrying passengers all the way between Sydney and Istanbul, Turkish Airlines will also be allowed to sell tickets for the Istanbul-Kuala Lumpur and Kuala Lumpur-Sydney legs, in competition with Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia X.

Turkish Airlines Chairman Ahmet Bolat said the airlines’ expansion to Sydney “not only enhances our global network but also reaffirms our commitment to connecting passengers with new opportunities and experiences… bridging continents and bringing people closer together.”

Between Melbourne and Sydney, Turkish Airlines will boast daily flights to Australia, which Bolat previously described to Executive Traveller as “our strategic target.” 

And while airline has further headroom for growth, to 35 flights per week to Australia from October 2025, Bolat said “we are going to stick with Sydney and Melbourne,” adding “other cities (like) Perth and Brisbane are not on our list right now.”

Meanwhile, Sydney will be Australia’s only airport hosting “two European carriers” when Turkish Airlines slots in alongside British Airways.

“With more than 15,000 Turkish-born Australians in New South Wales and Türkiye consistently rated as one of the top destinations for Australian travellers, we’re confident this service will be strongly supported” said Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton.

Beyond Istanbul and Türkiye, Turkish Airlines offers connections to more than 100 destinations across Europe alone.

Travellers breaking their journey in Istanbul can also take advantage of a complimentary city tour or a two-night stay in a five-star hotel in they’re booked in business class (or one night in a four-star hotel, if they hold an economy ticket). 

Turkish Airlines A350 business class

Turkish Airline’ Airbus A350 flights to Sydney feature 32 flatbed business class seats and 297 economy class recliners – although chairman Bolat has ruled out the return of its ‘Comfort Class’ premium economy, which was positioned closer to a being a ‘business lite’ proposition.

The curved high-walled business class pods have a pleasing degree of privacy, albeit without sliding doors.

It’s actually the same model seat as Singapore Airlines’ medium range ‘regional’ business class seen on its Boeing 787-10s and some Airbus A350s.

Finished in a dark colour scheme with hints of copper, these seats have all the mod cons you’d expect: AC/USB power, a decent degree of personal space, a ‘Do Not Disturb’ button, a handy mirror and a small cabinet for stowing everything from your Kindle or a small tablet to reading glasses, passport, and whatnot.

Each Turkish Airlines business class seat fully reclines to a 1.9m lie-flat bed with an adequately-sized nook for your feet, as long as you prefer to sleep on your back rather than your side.

A highlight of Turkish Airlines’ international business class experience are the meals, especially the ‘Flying Chefs’ program developed in partnership with Austrian catering colossus Do & Co.

This sees trained chefs serving up true restaurant-grade fare above the clouds, with appetisers and desserts served from trolley to add to the sense of theatre; the drinks selection is capped by Taittinger Brut Reserve Champagne and four types of Scotch (up to a 15yo Glenfiddich Single Malt).

The 18” video screen packs a solid roster of movies plus live TV channels from BBC World News, CNN International, CNBC and Sport 24.

Business class passengers currently get 1GB of inflight Internet, with unlimited WiFi  for Miles&Smiles Elite and Elite Plus members; however, plans are underway to deliver free unlimited WiFi to all passengers from tip to tail.

Further out, Turkish Airlines’ A350-1000 will arrive with new Crystal Business Class suites sporting high walls and sliding doors for maximum privacy on non-stop flights to Sydney and Melbourne.

Turkish Airlines’ Qantas status match

As part of its continued push into the Australian market, Turkish Airlines is targeting Qantas’ top-tier frequent flyers with a free status match from Qantas Platinum and Platinum One to Turkish Airlines’ Miles&Smiles Elite tier.

Of course, the Turkish Airlines status match also unlocks Star Alliance Gold status and perks across two dozen airlines including Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, Thai Airways and United Airlines.

You can also get onto the fast track for Star Alliance Gold status with the HSBC Star Alliance credit card.

Stay informed: Click here to sign up to the free Executive Traveller newsletter