TAKING OFF
Europe’s best airline to launch flights from regional UK airports to the world’s most visited city
And the other regional airports getting brand new flights within the next year
A MAJOR airline has revealed plans to launch new fights from two UK airports - and they're not from London.
Last year Turkish flag carrier Turkish Airlines announced that it wants to launch flights to both Glasgow and Newcastle.
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And this week it has revealed that those two destinations are still very much part of its future plans.
Earlier this summer, Turkish Airlines was named Europe's best carrier at the annual Skytrax Awards, described as the Oscars of the aviation industry.
It also the award for the World’s Best Business Class Catering.
That service could soon be coming to Glasgow and Newcastle, according to the airline.
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Every year, it details its destination wishlist, naming the countries and cities it is planning to fly to in the future.
Back in November, it included both of the UK airports on its list, alongside destinations like Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro and Orlando.
The airline has now released an updated version of the list, as part of its Q2 2024 earnings presentation.
Both of the destinations feature again on the list, showing a determination from Turkish Airlines to fly there in the future.
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Currently the carrier flies to Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, London Gatwick and London Heathrow in the UK.
The airline predominantly flies to Istanbul, and does from all its UK destinations, although Gatwick also has flights to both Antalya and Bodrum.
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The northern Turkish city would likely be the destination for the new flights to Newcastle and Glasgow.
It was the world's most visited city in 2023, with more than 20.2 million international arrivals last year.
Even more people are expected to have jetted into Istanbul by the end of this year, as demand continues to grow.
No dates have yet been set for the above routes, but their inclusion in the list two years in a row shows that the carrier wants to expand its offering to the UK.
New Routes launching from the UK
Leeds Bradford Airport is getting new easyJet flights to Paris this from October this year.
Tickets for the flights are on sale now and can already be booked via the airline's website from £23.99.
The local travel hub is also getting brand new Jet2 routes for next year as part of the airline's "biggest ever" programme of winter city breaks.
Destinations include Athens, Barcelona, Budapest, Krakow, Paris, Prague, Rome, Vienna and Venice.
Flights will be available from several airports all over the country, also including East Midlands, Edinburgh and Birmingham.
Meanwhile, passengers from Manchester Airport will be able to fly to Porto on two weekly flights launching in November 2025.
New flights will also operate from Glasgow Airport, with three destinations on offer: Rome, Krakow and Prague.
The same cities will be available from Newcastle.
Sun Travel has contacted Turkish Airlines for more information about when the routes would begin.
Elsewhere in Europe, the airline has its sights on Bergen in Norway, Nantes in France and Katowice in Poland among others.
Turkish Airlines has previously shown it can move quickly, with flights to Mitiga Airport in Tripoli, Libya launched in April this year.
That airport had never been served by the carrier before, nor had it appeared on previous "future destinations" lists.
Should they launch soon, they won't be the only new flights from Newcastle to Turkey.
From next summer Sun Express will start flying from Newcastle to
Dalaman.
The airline is a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, and will start a twice weekly flight to Dalaman from May 4, 2025. There will be additional flights to Antalya as well.
Elsewhere, Glasgow has launched two new easyJet flights this summer, including Larnaca in Cyprus and Enfidha in Tunisia.
The budget airline is basing a sixth aircraft at the Scottish airport, offering new flights to the two destinations.
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Meanwhile, the world's biggest island is to build three new airports.
And these five new mega airports are set to open across Europe.
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