Turkish Airlines targets growth across Americas with expanded routes

The United States remains central to Turkish Airlines’ operations in the Americas. In October alone, the carrier scheduled nearly 1,400 flights between Turkey and the US, providing over 447,000 seats. New York JFK is Turkish Airlines' busiest US destination with up to four daily rotations from Istanbul. Other major cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago each have up to three round trips per day this month.

Bolat explained that when considering new routes in the US market, Turkish Airlines "takes a very data-driven and strategic approach [to] analyze passenger demand, connectivity potential, and the overall economic and cultural ties." He also mentioned that factors like "competitive dynamics, operational feasibility, and long-term sustainability" are important when evaluating new opportunities.

Some US cities—including Denver (20 rotations), Newark (27), and Boston (30)—are served less than daily this month. Additional destinations such as Detroit, Seattle, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, and Washington receive one or two daily flights depending on demand.

Latin America represents an area where Turkish Airlines expects further growth as its fleet expands. This month alone there are over 400 scheduled flights between Turkey and Latin American countries—offering almost 130,000 seats—with services to cities including Bogota, Buenos Aires, Cancun, Caracas, Mexico City, Panama City, Santiago de Chile, and Sao Paulo.

Bolat noted that Turkish Airlines is "just starting to make [its] presence known in South America," with future expansion likely as more aircraft join its fleet.

As competition increases across these markets—and with plans for further diversification—Turkish Airlines aims to continue adapting its network strategy based on market conditions.