A brand new nonstop Turkish Airways flight from Denver Worldwide Airport will carry vacationers 6,130 miles between Denver and Istanbul — the longest flight from DIA and the newest in Colorado’s enlargement of world connections.
The recruitment of Turkish Airways brings the variety of airways at DIA to 26. Searches on Google on Thursday morning confirmed flights accessible three days per week, beginning June 11, for round $1,329 roundtrip.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and DIA chief government Phil Washington introduced the flight Thursday morning, celebrating a milestone in efforts to hyperlink the Rocky Mountain West with the remainder of the world.
“Turkish Airways is essentially the most related airline on this planet. This not solely opens Denver to Istanbul and Turkey. It additionally opens up alternatives for us into India, Africa, and the Center East,” Johnston mentioned.
The brand new service is anticipated to deliver a $54 million annual financial impression in Colorado and assist the creation of 350 new jobs across the state. “We’re corporations keen on establishing a North American headquarters right here,” he mentioned.
The flight will take about 13 hours, longer than the 12-hour direct flight between Denver and Tokyo. Turkish Airways presents connecting flights to 300 locations from its Istanbul hub, together with 55 cities in Africa. Denver would be the 14th U.S. metropolis providing direct flights to Turkey. Turkish Airways officers on Thursday mentioned they’re hoping these will deliver 2 million vacationers a 12 months to go to Turkey’s historic historic websites and vibrant cities.
DIA officers lately have prioritized “increasing our world connections” as a part of their strategic plan for serving 100 million passengers a 12 months by 2027 and greater than 120 million by 2045, the airport’s fiftieth anniversary. A major aim is to “develop the air networks to the continent of Africa and different disconnected locations.”
A 21-person delegation of airport, metropolis authorities, and enterprise officers from Denver visited Ethiopia in February 2023 on a commerce mission. They supplied financial incentives as a part of their efforts to influence Ethiopian Airways and, ultimately, Egypt Air to decide to beginning service to Denver with a number of flights per week. One other delegation visited Turkey in October 2022 to discover prospects for beginning a Turkish Airways flight between Denver and Istanbul.
DIA officers anticipate a launch of Ethiopian Airways flights between Denver and Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. early subsequent 12 months, Washington mentioned. They’re additionally working to line up nonstop entry to Amsterdam and different cities in Japan. “We’re being very formidable by way of growing our world connections,” he mentioned.
“I see us because the gateway to the USA due to our geographic location.”
The brand new flight introduced Thursday “doesn’t diminish in any method our need” to line up flights to different cities, mentioned Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce president J.J. Ament, who joined latest delegations.
“The crucial is that we proceed to extend Denver’s world attain and the attain of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West with DIA because the gateway airport. With the ability to attain new elements of the world, rising elements of the world, is what will hold Colorado globally related,” he mentioned, specializing in advantages for enterprise.
“Colorado has nice corporations which can be doing power infrastructure, particularly round local weather resilience. These have purposes all over the world.”
DIA is the biggest airport in the USA by dimension, protecting 53 sq. miles of land. It additionally ranks among the many busiest airports on this planet. A document 77 million passengers went by way of DIA in 2023, up from 69 million in 2019.
The airport presents flights to 217 locations, predominantly home. Worldwide air journey, together with air cargo operations, has grown steadily and in 2023 accounted for greater than 4 million vacationers, up 21% since 2022.
DIA now presents nonstop worldwide entry to 31 locations in 17 international locations. Final 12 months, airport officers introduced new nonstop flights from DIA on Aer Lingus to Dublin, Eire, beginning on Might 17. Different cities that DIA vacationers can attain nonstop embrace London, Paris, Zurich, Reykjavik, Iceland, Munich, Frankfurt, Tokyo, and a dozen cities in Mexico and Central America.
Get extra enterprise information by signing up for our Financial system Now publication.
