Summary Istanbul Airport is rapidly growing, aiming to reach 100 million passengers annually with plans for 200 million capacity. Turkish Airlines' strong presence and extensive US routes make it unlikely for US carriers to operate flights to Istanbul. Geopolitical tensions and Turkish Airlines' dominance in Istanbul prevent US legacy carriers from serving the city.
Istanbul Airport is ranked the sixth-busiest airport in the world, with flights to destinations worldwide. Yet, no US-based carrier flies there. It seems counter-intuitive that no US airlines would fly there.
After all, US-based airlines operate in the region; for example, Delta and United fly to Greece's Athens and Israel's Tel Aviv airports. The reasons no US airlines fly there are mixed up with politics, code-share agreements, and Turkish Airlines' dominance ( Turkish Airlines offers flights to some 276 destinations - including around 14 destinations in the US). Istanbul Airport: a modern mega-hub Turkey is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, receiving almost 50 million visitors in 2023.
According to Statista , in 2023, over 1.3 million American tourists visited Turkey, the majority heading for the famed sites of the country's largest city, Istanbul. OAG now ranks Istanbul Airport as the 7th most connected airport in the world.
In 2023, Istanbul Airport handled 76 million passengers (of which 58 million were international passengers). The airport is continuing to grow, and when the last of the four phases of its construction is completed, it is planned to have a capacity of 200 million passengers annually. This has the potential to make it the world's largest airport (at least for a while).
The airport is targeting to reach 100 million passengers by 2027 . Get all the latest airline route news right here Given the nature of United, American , and Delta Air Lines' international expansion plans over the past few years, it is relatively surprising that Istanbul has not been connected to its route network. Turkish Airlines' dominance of the market Turkish Airlines , the Turkish flag carrier, operates fourteen or fifteen different routes from Istanbul to cities in the United States.
In fact, Turkish Airlines is rapidly growing its connections with the United States and is planning to double the number of summer seats available to the US compared to prepandemic 2019. "With the new Denver route now online, Turkish Airlines will operate 151 flights per week into the U.S.
during the peak summer season. 1.3 million two-way seats between the U.
S. and Turkey are available this summer, double the number for sale during the summer of 2019." - Business Traveler After recently inaugurating a new Istanbul-Denver flight, Turkish Airlines is mulling another 6 US routes.
But why do none of the US's big three legacy carriers operate flights to Istanbul? The reasons behind this lack of service are explained by a blend of geopolitical and economic factors. The new flight will operate thrice weekly and will increase to four times weekly next month. Was there service to Istanbul in the past? Yes, there were direct flights between the United States and Istanbul operated by American carriers in the not-so-distant past.
United Airlines ceased service from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to the city on October 26th, 2013, in a route-cutting push that also saw reductions in operations to Buenos Aires. With such a robust Star Alliance partner, Turkish Airlines, based in Istanbul, it is somewhat understandable that the airline should cut service. Turkish Airlines US destinations: Atlanta - Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport Miami - Miami International Airport Boston - Logan International Airport Newark - Newark Liberty International Airport Chicago - O'Hare International Airport Dallas New York City - John F.
Kennedy International Airport Dallas - Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Denver San Francisco - San Francisco International Airport Detroit - Detroit Metropolitan Airport Seattle - Seattle–Tacoma International Airport Houston- -George Bush Intercontinental Airport Washington, D.C. - Dulles International Airport Los Angeles - Los Angeles International Airport However, Delta 's elimination of service was more noteworthy, which involved canceling the airline's direct service from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL).
In May 2016, the carrier decided to cut the route amid growing security concerns from the 2016 Turkish coup and a travel warning from the US State Department. Delta's severed Istanbul flight joins the list of 69 European designations it has cut since 1990 . Notably, the US government banned all flights to and from Turkey on July 16th of that year amid severe tension with the nation following the 2016 coup.
However, the ban was lifted two days later, on July 18th. Since then, air traffic between Istanbul and the United States has increased massively. However, this increase has come from Turkish Airlines.
No US airlines have resumed service to the nation since Delta suspended service. This is perhaps ironic given that Turkey is a key US NATO ally - but politics is complicated. The airline has a monopoly on all routes except Istanbul.
But why are no US airlines flying to Turkey now? With restrictions lifted and sky-high tourist demand, many wonder why US airlines do not fly to Istanbul. The answer to this question has significant to do with Turkish Airlines. First, let's consider why each of the three US legacy carriers does not operate routes to the city.
First, United Airlines likely has no interest in operating this flight due to its strong relationship with Turkish Airlines. As fellow Star Alliance carriers, it would be highly unusual for United to try to take market share away from its Turkish partner. Istanbul Airport Opened: April 2019 Annual passengers: 76 million (2023) Rank: 7th busiest in the world Hub for: Turkish Airlines, Turkish Cargo Countries served: Approx.
114 When it comes to American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, however, there is no corporate partnership holding them back from attempting to compete on this route. That said, over the years, Turkish Airlines has developed a presence in Atlanta, Dallas, New York, Washington DC, and Boston , all airports from which the two American carriers would potentially serve Istanbul. Therefore, while geopolitical tensions dictated service by American carriers to Istanbul in the past, the power of Turkish Airlines, both within the Star Alliance and in the market generally, dictates why none fly there now.
It's also worth noting that Turkish Airlines overwhelmingly dominates the flights in and out of Istanbul Airport (commanding a whopping 79% share of all flights)..
