New non-stop flights from Vancouver to Istanbul begin this year

Istanbul, Turkey. (Shutterstock)

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) will soon have a frequent, direct, non-stop flight to the historic destination of Istanbul in Turkey on the border of Europe and Asia.

Turkish Airlines has opened reservations for its new service between YVR and Istanbul Airport (IST), with flights beginning June 9, 2020, according to an aviation industry bulletin by Routes Online today. A formal announcement is imminent.

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The service will fly three times weekly in both directions, with each flight taking just under 12 hours. Flights departing YVR will leave at 5:20 pm and arrive at IST at 2:50 pm the next day, while return flights from IST will leave at 2:05 pm and arrive at YVR at 3:50 pm on the same day.

This new service will use the new generation Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

The airline already serves Toronto Pearson International Airport and Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. It is part of Star Alliance, and has codeshare agreements with Air Canada.

Currently, YVR’s furthest destinations to continental Europe are Munich, Frankfurt, and Zurich.

Istanbul is a major city with deep ancient roots that are still reflected today in the city’s culture and attractions. It is the only city in the world to have served as the capital for three empires: the Eastern Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and the Ottoman Empires. Its UNESCO World Heritage Site of the “Historical Areas of Istanbul” includes the famous Hagia Sophia, Sultan Ahmed Mosque, and the Walls of Constantinople.

The new direct flight to IST — a major international hub with 50 million annual passengers — also provides travellers from YVR with a new way to connect to flights serving other destinations in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, specifically the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

At around the same time as the new flight’s launch, YVR is also expected to open its Pier D international terminal expansion.

Newly released statistics also show YVR had another consecutive record-breaking year in 2019 for passenger volumes, with 26.395 million passengers going through the airport last year — up from 25.936 million passengers in 2018.

New and improved major YVR routes 2017-20

February 5, 2017: Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas – Air Canada to begin daily service
March 28, 2017: Hong Kong, China – Cathay Pacific increases weekly flights from 14 to 17
May 1, 2017: Phoenix, Arizona – Air Canada to begin daily service
May 18, 2017: Denver, Colorado – Air Canada to begin twice-daily service
June 1, 2017: Nagoya, Japan – Air Canada to begin seasonal three times weekly service
June 1, 2017: Frankfurt, Germany – Air Canada to begin daily service
June 8, 2017: Taipei, Taiwan – Air Canada to begin daily service
June 8, 2017: London, UK (Gatwick Airport) – Air Canada to begin three times weekly service
June 23, 2017: Boston, Massachusetts – Air Canada to begin daily summer seasonal service
June 30, 2017: Hong Kong, China – Hong Kong Airlines to begin daily non-stop flight service
October 14, 2017: Delhi, India – Air Canada’s service to be upgraded to up to five times weekly
October 26, 2017: Cancun, Mexico – Interjet to begin year-round, non-stop flight service running four times weekly
October 26, 2017: Mexico City, Mexico – Interjet to begin year-round, non-stop flight service running four times weekly
October 29, 2017: Huatulco, Mexico – WestJet to begin weekly non-stop flight service
October 29, 2017: Kona and Kauai, Hawaii – WestJet to start seasonal service earlier than usual
December 1, 2017: Melbourne, Australia – Air Canada to begin four times weekly non-stop seasonal service
December 15, 2017: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories – Air Canada to begin daily non-stop service
December 19, 2017: Montego Bay, Jamaica – Sunwing Airlines to begin weekly seasonal service
December 20, 2017: Orlando International Airport – Air Canada to begin twice-weekly non-stop seasonal service
January 29, 2018: Edmonton, Alberta – WestJet to increase flights from 50 to 59 times weekly
January 29, 2018: Calgary, Alberta – WestJet to increase flights from 88 to 112 times weekly
January 29, 2018: Kelowna, BC – WestJet to increase flights from 40 to 49 times weekly
January 29, 2018: Ottawa, Ontario – WestJet to increase flights from seven to 14 times weekly
January 29, 2018: Regina, Saskatchewan – WestJet to increase flights from six to seven times weekly
January 29, 2018: Fort St. John, BC – WestJet to increase flights from six to 12 times weekly
January 29, 2018: Victoria, BC – WestJet to increase flights from 33 to 35 times weekly
January 29, 2018: Cancun, Mexico – WestJet to increase flights from two to three times weekly
January 29, 2018: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – WestJet to increase flights from one to two times weekly
March 18, 2018: Mexico City, Mexico – WestJet launches three times weekly year-round service
April 29, 2018: Mexico City, Mexico – WestJet service to be upgraded into daily year-round service
May 2, 2018: Reykjavík, Iceland – Icelandair to upgrade existing year-round service to four times weekly throughout the year
May 4, 2018: Chicago O’Hare International Airport – American Airlines to begin year-round, daily service
May 17, 2018: Sacramento International Airport – Air Canada to begin year-round, daily service
May 25, 2018: Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport and Tianjin Binhai International Airport – Hainan Airlines to begin year-round, twice-weekly service to Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport with one stop at Tianjin Binhai International Airport
June 1, 2018: Melbourne, Australia – Air Canada service to be upgraded to three times weekly year-round
June 7, 2018: Zurich, Switzerland – Air Canada to begin three times weekly seasonal service
June 8, 2018: Paris, France – Air Canada to begin four times weekly seasonal service
June 8, 2018: Delhi, India – Air Canada upgrades seasonal service to four times weekly year-round
October 28, 2018: Honolulu, Hawaii – Air Canada upgrades service to two times daily during winter
October 28, 2018: Maui, Hawaii – Air Canada upgrades service to two times daily during winter
December 15, 2018: Kauai, Hawaii – Air Canada begins three times weekly seasonal service
December 23, 2018: Liberia, Costa Rica – Sunwing Airlines to start weekly seasonal service
December 12, 2019: Auckland, New Zealand – Air Canada to start four times weekly seasonal service
May 20, 2020: Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota — Sun Country Airlines to start two times weekly seasonal service
June 9, 2020: Istanbul, Turkey — Turkish Airlines to start a three times weekly service