Turkish Airlines touches down in Sydney

The first Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Sydney touches down this afternoon, Friday November 29, and with it comes more choice for Australian travellers looking for a fresh way into Europe and beyond.

Having started flying to Melbourne in March this year, Turkish Airlines now offers a daily connection between Australia and Istanbul – initially with short stopovers in SIngapore (for Melbourne flights) and Kuala Lumpur (for Sydney flights) which break up the 20-hour journey.

But non-stop Turkish Airlines flights between Istanbul and Australia are on the way, thanks to a fleet of long-range Airbus A350-1000 jets.

Direct Sydney-Istanbul flights will take off in late 2026, with Melbourne-Istanbul expected to follow in 2027.

While Turkish Airlines’ first two Sydney-Istanbul flights will rely on its massive Boeing 777 workhorse, as of December 3 (ex-SYD) these will switch to a modern Airbus A350 running four times a week, before a fifth flight joins the roster from 10 June 2025.

Here’s how the initial Turkish Airlines Sydney-Istanbul schedule looks:

• TK175 leaves Sydney at 8.40pm every Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, reaching Istanbul at 10.15am the next day
• TK174 departs Istanbul at 3.15pm every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, arriving into Sydney at 6.30pm the following day

(From 10 June 2025 you can add Wednesday to the Sydney-Istanbul trek, and Tuesday to Istanbul-Sydney.)

Could other Australian cities follow? While the airline can run as many as 35 flights per week to Australia from October 2025, Turkish Airlines Chairman Ahmet Bolat has previously told Executive Traveller “we are going to stick with Sydney and Melbourne,” adding “other cities (like) Perth and Brisbane are not on our list right now.”

Turkish Airlines A350 business class.

Beyond Istanbul and Türkiye, Turkish Airlines offers connections to more than 100 destinations across Europe alone.

Travellers breaking their journey in Istanbul can also take advantage of a complimentary city tour or a two-night stay in a five-star hotel in they’re booked in business class (or one night in a four-star hotel, if they hold an economy ticket).

Turkish Airlines A350 business class.

Turkish Airlines A350 business class

Turkish Airline’ Airbus A350 flights feature 32 flatbed business class seats and 297 economy class recliners – although the airline has ruled out the return of its ‘Comfort Class’ premium economy, which was positioned closer to a being a ‘business lite’ proposition.

The curved high-walled business class pods have a pleasing degree of privacy, albeit without sliding doors.

Turkish Airlines A350 business class.

It’s actually the same model seat as Singapore Airlines’ medium-range regional business class seen on its Boeing 787-10s and some Airbus A350s.

Turkish Airlines A350 business class.

Finished in a dark colour scheme with hints of copper, these seats have all the mod cons you’d expect: AC/USB power, a decent degree of personal space, a ‘Do Not Disturb’ button, a handy mirror and a small cabinet for stowing everything from your Kindle or a small tablet to reading glasses, passport, and whatnot.

Turkish Airlines A350 business class.

Each Turkish Airlines business class seat fully reclines to a 1.9m lie-flat bed with an adequately-sized nook for your feet, as long as you prefer to sleep on your back rather than your side.

Turkish Airlines A350 business class.

A highlight of Turkish Airlines’ international business class experience are the meals, especially the ‘Flying Chefs’ program developed in partnership with Austrian catering colossus Do & Co.

Turkish Airlines A350 business class.

This sees trained chefs serving up true restaurant-grade fare above the clouds, with appetisers and desserts served from trolley to add to the sense of theatre; the drinks selection is capped by Taittinger Brut Reserve Champagne and four types of Scotch (up to a 15yo Glenfiddich Single Malt).

The 18” video screen packs a solid roster of movies plus live TV channels from BBC World News, CNN International, CNBC and Sport 24.

Business class passengers currently get 1GB of inflight Internet, with unlimited WiFi  for Miles&Smiles Elite and Elite Plus members; however, plans are underway to deliver free unlimited WiFi to all passengers from tip to tail.

Turkish Airlines A350 business class.

Further out, Turkish Airlines’ A350-1000s will arrive with new Crystal Business Class suites sporting high walls and sliding doors for maximum privacy on non-stop flights to Sydney and Melbourne.

Turkish Airlines' A350-1000 Crystal Business Class.

Turkish Airlines’ Qantas status match

As part of its continued push into the Australian market, Turkish Airlines is targeting Qantas’ top-tier frequent flyers with a free status match from Qantas Platinum and Platinum One to Turkish Airlines’ Miles&Smiles Elite tier.

Of course, the Turkish Airlines status match also unlocks Star Alliance Gold status and perks across two dozen airlines including Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, Thai Airways and United Airlines.

You can also get onto the fast track for Star Alliance Gold status with the HSBC Star Alliance credit card.

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