Turkish Airlines to launch Istanbul-Melbourne service on 15 March

*****UPDATE: Since this article was published Turkish Airlines has brought forward the start of its Melbourne service to 1 March, 2024.*****

Turkish Airlines has ended speculation by confirming that its new Melbourne service will launch in March.

The carrier has been talking up the launch of flights to Australia for the last year or so, and earlier this month it announced plans to serve Melbourne via a one line “route announcement” on the Investor Relations section of its website.

No details were given at the time as to the launch date or schedules, but Turkish has now confirmed that it will commence a thrice-weekly service via Singapore on 15 March.

Flight times vary over the coming months, and are listed in the tables below, but in general there will be a roughly one and a half hour layover in Singapore in both directions.

To celebrate the launch Turkish Airlines is offering special fares of US$1,199, for bookings made by 15 April and travel between 15 March and 15 May.

While the flights will for now route via Singapore, the airline said that “In the next few years, Turkish Airlines aims to organize direct flights to Melbourne and other potential cities in the country with the acquisition of new aircraft capable of operating nonstop flights between Istanbul and Melbourne”.

Commenting on the news Turkish Airlines chairman of the board and the executive committee, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bolat, said:

“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.

“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.”

What are your thoughts on the launch? Join in the discussion on our forum.

turkishairlines.com

Winter schedule details for Turkish Airlines’ Melbourne/Australia flights

Summer schedule details for Turkish Airlines’ Melbourne/Australia flights

*Due to the daylight-saving in Australia, there is a time variance.