Media release from NSW Premier Chris Minns and Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham

This afternoon the new Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul will hit the tarmac at Sydney Airport, offically opening an exciting new route to Europe and a boost in the number of visitors to NSW.

From today, this new route will offer four flights a week with one of the world’s leading carriers. In the first year alone, this will deliver an additional 68,620 inbound seats to Sydney Airport, support more than 290 jobs and generate an estimated $53 million for the NSW visitor economy.

This new route was made possible with significant financial support from the NSW Government’s Aviation Attraction Fund. Attracting new routes and building aviation capacity is part of Minns Government’s plan to rapidly grow the NSW visitor economy.

As outlined in the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy review released last month, the Minns Government plans to grow the state’s tourism industry from the current annual expenditure of $53 billion to $91 billion by 2035.

The arrival of Turkish Airlines to Sydney marks a new phase of growth in passenger numbers arriving in NSW. Over the next ten years capacity is expected to grow by 8.5 million seats to support the new $91 billion growth target. This will be driven by big growth at Sydney Kingsford-Smith Airport, and the opening of Western Sydney International Airport in 2026.

Tourism is already the state’s fifth biggest employer, and the projected growth will take the total number of jobs from 300,000 to 450,000. The growth in revenue and jobs in tourism will play an important role in sustaining economic growth as other industries decline.

The Aviation Attraction Fund, administered by Destination NSW, has helped land more than 40 routes and has supported Sydney Airport to land a new Shanghai-Sydney route with Juneyao Airlines that will commence next month.

Premier of NSW Chris Minns said:

“This flight route will open an exciting new destination for people who want to book overseas trips, and for visitors who want to see what our incredible state has to offer.

“Sydney was voted the world’s top destination for a reason and we are supporting our airports to get more people visiting the state, spending money and creating jobs across NSW."

Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham said:

“Turkish Airlines' arrival in Sydney is a landmark moment that offers a new high-quality option for local travellers to Europe and a boost in visitor numbers to Sydney.

“This exciting new route from Istanbul was made possible by a financial incentive from the Minns Government. “We are backing our airports to increase capacity and bring more visitors to NSW, creating jobs and economic growth in our tourism destinations right across the state.

“Bringing more passengers into our airports is part of the Minns Government’s plan to boost jobs and growth in our statewide visitor economy.”

Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton said:

“We’re proud to welcome our 50th airline partner Turkish Airlines as they launch their inaugural flight to Sydney, strengthening our international network and offering passengers even more choice and connectivity to Europe and beyond through their extensive hub in Istanbul.

“The arrival of Turkish Airlines not only strengthens their offering in our region but also highlights the vital role Sydney plays as a global aviation gateway. We’re also delighted they have chosen Sydney to host their inaugural non-stop services in the years ahead.

“Turkish Airlines has been recognised as the best airline in Europe by Skytrax, and it’s fantastic that so many passengers from Sydney will now have the opportunity to experience their world-class service first-hand.

“I’d like to thank and acknowledge the significant support of the NSW Government and Destination NSW in helping make this possible. Their collaboration continues to be instrumental in driving tourism and international connectivity for Sydney and the broader region."

Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Ekşi says:

“This momentous occasion marks Turkish Airlines' longest flight path in history, as we happily add our second Australian city to our flight network.

“The arrival of our first flight from Istanbul to Sydney represents our ongoing commitment to connect travellers across the globe, providing a seamless gateway between Europe and Australia with the comfort and hospitality of Turkish Airlines.

“Once we receive our aircraft capable of conducting the journey in a single leap, we look forward to further expanding our offering in the near future with Australia’s first non-stop flights to Istanbul.”