As of June 1, Turkish Airlines has resumed domestic flights in a limited form. International flights are scheduled to resume on June 10, 2020.
Four days earlier than announced, Turkey's national airline took off on June 1, 2020, following the lifting of restrictions by the Ankara government.
Turkish Airlines has resumed domestic flights
For starters, only four routes are operated from Istanbul. Turkish Airlines will fly daily to the airports of Ankara, Izmir, Antalya and Trabzon. The first two destinations will be honored with Airbus A330-300 aircraft (28 seats in Business class, 261 in Economy class), and the other two destinations will be honored with A321neo aircraft (20 Business + 162 Economy).
It should be noted that Turkish Airlines has also implemented the new hygiene and protection rules on board. Passengers are required to wear a mask on their mouth and nose. There is also a passenger kit, with mask and antibacterial wipes.
Low-cost subsidiary Anadolu Jet flies from Istanbul-Sabiha Gokcen to Ankara, Izmir, Antalya and Trabzon. Starting on Thursday, June 4, the number of domestic flights and routes will probably increase considerably.
Regarding international flights, Turkish Airlines has not yet changed the initially announced plan. As of June 10, it plans to operate 75 flights a week to 22 destinations in 19 countries, including: Canada, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Norway, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, Belarus, Israel, Kuwait, Georgia and Lebanon.
The resumption of flights will be done progressively. As of July, Turkish Airlines plans to operate 572 weekly flights to 103 destinations in 74 countries. Following that from August / September to operate 937 flights to 160 destinations in 98 countries.
Prior to the pandemic, Turkish Airlines operated a fleet of 346 aircraft (passengers and cargo) and served 316 destinations worldwide (266 international from 126 countries and 50 domestic). Star Alliance continues to promise that there will be no layoffs in the next two years.