Turkish Airlines plans flights to Auckland

Turkish Airlines is eager to begin flights between Istanbul and Auckland, in a move intended to complement its current flights to Sydney and Melbourne.

“We will build a bridge between our countries as soon as possible,” Turkish Airlines chairman Ahmet Bolat remarked after meeting New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon late last week, adding that work was already underway on “the possibility of flights to New Zealand.”

Bolat has previously indicated the first Istanbul-Auckland flights would run via Singapore, following the same pattern as its Istanbul-Melbourne route.

Turkish Airlines business class dining service features 'Flying Chefs'.

And as is the case with those Melbourne flights, the Auckland-Singapore and Singapore-Auckland legs of that journey would likely be available to book as a stand-alone flight, which would see Turkish Airlines competing against Star Alliance siblings Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines.

Travellers headed all the way through would disembark the red-tailed jet at Singapore's Changi Airport, with an airport lounge welcoming business class passengers and top-tier frequent flyers – including Star Alliance Gold members such as Air New Zealand Airpoints Gold and Elite cardholders – before rejoining the same plane to continue their journey.

However, non-stop flights between Auckland and Istanbul are also being considered as the airline builds up its fleet of ultra-long range Airbus A350-1000 jets.

The first A350-1000s will launch direct Istanbul-Sydney flights in late 2026, swapping the current stopover at Kuala Lumpur for a 17-hour non-stop marathon, with Melbourne set to follow.

Turkish Airlines' Airbus A350-1000 business class.

The globe-striding A350-1000s will have a customised layout with a substantially larger business class cabin, although the airline has ruled out the return of its ‘Comfort Class’ premium economy, which was positioned closer to being a ‘business lite’ proposition.

Turkish Airlines’ Auckland flights are likely to feature the Star Alliance member’s new Crystal business class suites, which combine a fully lie-flat bed with sliding privacy doors.

Review: What it’s like to fly Turkish Airlines business class