Turkish Airlines Announces New Istanbul-London Stansted Flight Route

In March 2026, Turkish Airlines will launch a new flight route between Istanbul Airport and London Stansted. This will be the sixth airport in the United Kingdom that the airline services, in addition to its existing routes to Heathrow and Gatwick. The addition of this new route is expected to bring positive growth to the airline, as it was revealed shortly after Royal Air Maroc launched flights to its third London-area airport.

Turkish Airlines Previously Flew to Stansted from 2005-2009

Prior to this announcement, Turkish Airlines previously flew to Stansted from 2005 to 2009 when Istanbul’s main airport was Atatürk. However, after the airport closed, the airline switched its services to Gatwick in 2011. In 2010, its lower-cost unit, AnadoluJet (now called AJet), began offering flights between Sabiha Gökçen and Stansted. The gap left by Turkish Airlines’ departure attracted Atlas, which operated flights from Atatürk to Stansted in 2012.

Complex Flight Schedule Offers Increased Connectivity

The new flight schedule is a split schedule, allowing Turkish Airlines passengers to connect to different flights at Istanbul Airport. The airline plans to initially operate 10 weekly flights, with an increase to 14 weekly flights on March 29. This change will align with the switch to summer schedules based on IATA slot seasons. The airline has indicated that the Airbus A321ceo will be deployed, but its website suggests that the A320ceo may also operate the route.

Turkish Airlines to Have Up to 14 Daily Flights to London

With the addition of this new route, Turkish Airlines will have up to 14 daily flights to London, making it the airline’s busiest destination in the UK. This will be a significant increase from its previous maximum of 11 daily departures. When combined with British Airways and Wizz Air, London will have up to 19 daily flights to Istanbul next April. Additionally, Sabiha Gökçen, located on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, will also offer flights to Istanbul from London, bringing the total to up to 27 daily flights.

Passenger Data Shows Strong Connections to Other Destinations

Analysis of booking data reveals that a third of British Airways’ Istanbul/Sabiha Gökçen passengers connect to another flight at Heathrow, with New York JFK and Toronto being the most popular destinations. For AJet, 40% of passengers on the Stansted-Sabiha Gökçen route connect to Gaziantep, while 64% of Turkish Airlines passengers from Heathrow and Gatwick connect to other destinations, with Antalya being the most popular. Pegasus also has a strong connecting market, with 67% of its passengers transiting through Ercan in Northern Cyprus.

Overall, the addition of this new