Turkish Airlines will be launching a non-stop Sydney to Istanbul service in late 2026 on board a long-range Airbus A350-1000, and as someone who’s just returned home from Bologna via. Istanbul and Jakarta on a Turkish Airlines A350 Business Class, this new service could be a game-changer for European travel.
Choosing to travel on Turkish Airlines via. Istanbul non-stop will open the door to more than 340 destinations across 130 countries on a one-stop itinerary.
The airline serves 110 European destinations, which is more than any other airline in the world, and this is particularly useful when you’re visiting smaller airports in Europe. It removes the need to add an extra flight to your itinerary and allows you to two-stop your way to airports such as Bologna and Marseille in a few hours.
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Currently, travellers heading to Europe can travel from Sydney to Paris through a handful of routes, including:
- Air China: Layover in Beijing
- Air India: Layover in Delhi
- All Nippon Airways (ANA): Layover in Tokyo
- Cathay Pacific: Layover in Hong Kong
- China Eastern Airlines: Layover in Shanghai
- China Southern Airlines: Layover in Guangzhou
- Emirates: Layover in Dubai
- Etihad Airways: Layover in Abu Dhabi
- Malaysia Airlines: Layover in Kuala Lumpur
- Qantas: Layover in Perth
- Qatar Airways: Layover in Doha
- Singapore Airlines: Layover in Singapore
- Thai Airways: Layover in Bangkok
- Vietnam Airlines: Layover in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City
While most tourists will travel to a central hub like London or Paris, those heading to smaller regional airports are faced with a three-stop route and a longer travel time. We experienced this on a recent trip to Marseille where we flew Sydney to Perth, Perth to Paris, and Paris to Marseille. Travelling through Istanbul would have reduced this to a two-stop route, which is preferred.
Sydney Airport CEO, Scott Charlton says that this new route is a significant milestone for travel to Europe: “This announcement of direct flights marks a significant milestone for travel to Europe, offering passengers seamless access to hundreds of destinations from Turkish Airlines’ Istanbul hub,”
“We are proud that Turkish Airlines chose Sydney and NSW for their first non-stop service which is a strong endorsement of everything our city and state has to offer. In the meantime, passengers will get to experience Turkish Airlines’ award-winning service from Sydney to Istanbul via Kuala Lumpur in December 2024.”
We’re particularly excited about this route because Turkish Airlines A350 Business Class is amongst the best we’ve ever travelled on. Its flights from Sydney to Istanbul will arrive with 32 flatbed business class seats and 297 economy class recliners. Flight times have not been shared, but expect this to be amongst the longest flights in the world at around 17 hours non-stop, so consider that when choosing your seat.
The planes feature a 1-2-1 configuration for direct aisle access, 1.9m lay-flat beds, and plenty of other neat features like a fold-out mirror, ‘Do Not Disturb’ button, power socket, USB charging port, small lockable cabinet, and a large TV screen with endless entertainment options including a tail camera. The food also stood out on our flight from Istanbul to Jakarta (Do&Co partner). We had one of the best meals we’ve ever had on this flight by way of a Seabass fillet with vegetables and basil pesto.
One major advantage that could elevate it over other options for European travellers out of Australia is Turkish Airlines’ complimentary stop-overs in Istanbul. They give business class passengers a complimentary two-night stay in a five-star hotel (one night in a four-star hotel for economy) or a city tour of Istanbul to all travellers. Not only will this give you a couple of free days to adjust to the timezone, but it’s a great way to see a new city for free.
Finally, and importantly for current Qantas Frequent Flyers, is that Turkish Airlines will status match Qantas Platinum and Platinum One to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Elite tier.
Until the new non-stop route is launched in late 2026 Turkish Airlines will launch a four times weekly service from Sydney to Istanbul on a Boeing 777-300ER before the Airbus A350-900 takes over on December 2, 2024. Here are the times:
- Istanbul-Kuala Lumpur: TK174, 13:15-04:20+1 (10h 5m)
- Kuala Lumpur-Sydney: TK174, 05:40-16:30 (7h 50m)
- Sydney-Kuala Lumpur: TK175, 20:40-01:55+1 (8h 15m)
- Kuala Lumpur-Istanbul: TK175, 03:55-10:15 (11h 20m)
Those excited to travel non-stop to Istanbul might have to wait until 2026, but it’s going to be well worth the wait. Two-stop travel to European cities from Australia is coming!
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