Updated on December 2, 2019.
Turkish Airlines will begin flying to the central Chinese city of Xian at the end of this year.
Xian will be the airline’s fourth destination in mainland China after Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Initially, the Turkish flag carrier will launch a thrice-weekly service, which will start at the end of 2019. The airline says the flights will “gradually increase” as the 2020 summer schedule begins.
With the launch of flights to Xian, Turkish Airlines’ reciprocal flights between Turkey and China will increase to 24 per week.
The inaugural outbound flight to Xian will be launched on December 30, 2019; while the first return flight is scheduled on December 31 this year.
Below is the flight schedule:
| Flight No. | From | To | Departs | Arrives | Days |
| TK196 | Istanbul (IST) | Xian (XIY) | 0155 | 1610 | Monday, Wednesday, Friday |
| TK197 | Xian (XIY) | Istanbul (IST) | 0035 | 0610 | Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday |
The airline will use an Airbus A330-203 wide-body aircraft on the route.
The launch of the Xian flights will also mark the 20th anniversary of the airline’s presence in the country. Turkish Airlines launched its first flights to China in 1999 with a service to Beijing.
“We expect that the Xi’an flights will contribute to the tourism, trade, cultural and economic connections between the two countries. I believe that the transportation bridge built by us will facilitate positive developments beneficial to both communities that have relations deeply rooted in history,” said İlker Aycı, Turkish Airlines chairman of the board and the executive committee.
Currently, Turkish Airlines operates daily flights between Istanbul and Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and flies six times a week between Istanbul and Hong Kong.
Turkish Airlines has recently launched two new non-stop services between Istanbul and the Vietnamese cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
