Turkish Airlines Expands to Chile with New Flights Starting December

Turkish Airlines is set to expand its presence in Latin America with the launch of its first passenger flights to Chile in December. Starting December 18, the carrier will begin operating four weekly flights between its hub at Istanbul Airport and Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport. These flights will be operated using Airbus A350-900 aircraft, though they will not be nonstop. Instead, they will continue from the airline’s existing flights to São Paulo, Brazil.

This new route marks Turkish Airlines’ entry into Chile, making it the eighth country in Latin America to be served by the airline. The flights to Santiago will be part of the existing São Paulo service, which includes four weekly roundtrips between Istanbul and São Paulo. The São Paulo flights are currently operated 11 times per week, with seven continuing to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The expansion to Santiago adds to Turkish Airlines’ growing Latin American network, which already includes flights to Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Cancun, Mexico City, Caracas, Havana, Panama City, and São Paulo. This new route makes Santiago the ninth city in Turkish Airlines’ Latin American network.

Turkish Airlines’ Chairman, Ahmet Bolat, hinted at the Santiago route during the Farnborough Airshow in July, noting it was under evaluation along with the possibility of flights to Lima, Peru. Additionally, the airline plans to start service to Rio de Janeiro following the recent liberalization of air travel between Turkey and Brazil.

According to OAG Schedules Analyser, Turkish Airlines’ new one-stop service from Istanbul will be Santiago’s eighth European connection and the first direct link between Chile and Turkey. Currently, Santiago is served by nonstop flights to Madrid with Iberia and LATAM Airlines Group, and by other European carriers including Air France, Iberia, British Airways, and KLM, which offer connections to various European cities.