Turkish Airlines initiated a new route connecting Istanbul Airport with Denver International Airport in June 2024. The service initially ran three times a week but expanded to four by the next month. The airline aims to increase the route’s frequency further, ultimately offering up to seven flights per week during the peak summer season.
According to Cirium, Turkish Airlines intends to boost its Istanbul to Denver route frequency to five times weekly starting in June. From July 3 to August 3, the plan is to offer daily flights, reflecting increased summer demand. Despite plans for daily service from June 7 to October 25, adjustments mean the frequency will drop to four weekly flights from October 26, with a switchover to Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
The route, which initially used Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, switched to Airbus A350-900 shortly after launching. Denver marks Turkish Airlines’ 14th US destination. The airline reported 53,000 passengers from July to the end of 2024, representing a 73% average load factor. Most passengers, 37,000 out of the total, connected to other destinations via Istanbul, demonstrating the airport’s role as a significant hub.
Popular connecting destinations include Delhi, Athens, Cairo, Mumbai, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Ercan, Kuwait City, Dubai, and Rome. An additional 2,500 passengers originated in Phoenix, connecting through Denver and ending in Istanbul, while 4,500 chose paths routing through both Denver and Istanbul, eventually reaching Medina.
This new Denver route follows a model observed with Turkish Airlines’ previous US route launches, where initial point-to-point bookings were modest but increased as the service developed.
