On December 18, Turkish Airlines inaugurated its new third-longest route from Istanbul to Santiago de Chile, with a stopover in São Paulo. Earlier this year, the airline began flights to Melbourne via Singapore in March and launched Sydney flights via Kuala Lumpur in November. Sydney is currently its longest service.
Turkish Airlines' CEO revealed during the Sydney launch that some of the incoming 15 Airbus A350-1000s will be reconfigured for nonstop Australian routes. The aircraft will feature a new 322-ton MTOW version. While specific details remain undisclosed, there will likely be around 270 seats configured for these long-haul flights. Nonstop services to cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth are anticipated. Auckland is also on the agenda, which could potentially become the world's longest nonstop route if realized.
The airline announced its intention to fly to Santiago back in July and confirmed it in September, giving it only two months to promote awareness and sales. The first flight took place on December 18 using a Boeing 777-300ER.