Turkish Airlines has revealed its next Europe route from its Istanbul Airport hub: Palermo, the capital of, and largest city on, the Italian island of Sicily. When added to the newly announced Katowice, Turkish Airlines will serve 85 airports across Europe on a passenger basis next summer, excluding those in Turkey – until the next is revealed.

Turkish Airlines to Palermo

Beginning on May 5th, the 860-mile (1,384km) Istanbul-Palermo route will be served on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. It is not a route for Turkish Airlines' smallest type: the A319. Instead, the 737-800 will be deployed. It is scheduled as follows, with all times local:

  • Istanbul to Palermo: TK1373, 06:55-08:30 (2h 30m block time), Mondays and Fridays
  • Istanbul to Palermo: TK1375, 16:45-18:20 (2h 35m), Wednesdays and Sundays
  • Palermo to Istanbul: TK1374, 09:30-13:05 (2h 35m), Mondays and Fridays
  • Palermo to Istanbul: TK1376, 19:20-22:55 (2h 35m), Wednesdays and Sundays

Click here for Palermo-Istanbul flights.

According to booking data, Palermo had approximately 60,000 roundtrip passengers to Turkey, Asia, the Middle East, and East and Southern Africa in 2019. Palermo-Tel Aviv was the largest market, followed by Tokyo Narita, Wenzhou (really), Bangkok, Istanbul, Seoul, Hong Kong, Beirut, Beijing, and Singapore. Only Wenzhou isn't served by Turkish Airlines itself.

Turkish Airlines' Italian network summer 2023
(Blue = also served by Turkish Airlines; red = no longer served)
Image: GCMap.

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A split schedule

You'll see that the schedule varies depending on the day, a so-called split schedule. This is quite common for hub-and-spoke carriers like Turkish Airlines. This enables it to maximize two-way connections over its Istanbul hub by Palermo being fed by and feeding different waves of flights. In essence, passengers can reach more places more often, driving route traffic, revenue, and competitiveness.

For example, passengers from across the Far East will generally be on the 06:55 departure to Palermo, while they'll primarily depart from the Italian airport at 19:20. Turkish Airlines' growing mid-afternoon wave of Far East flights, now including Tokyo Narita, will change that somewhat.

Click here for Palermo-Tokyo flights.

Turkish_Airlines_Boeing_737-800;_TC-JFF@CPH;03.06.2010_574fs_(4688494650)
(This 737-800 is now with Anadolujet.)
Photo: Aero Icarus via Wikimedia.

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Eighth Italian destination from IST

The addition of Palermo means that Turkish Airlines will serve eight Italian airports from Istanbul Airport next summer. (Nine if AnadoluJet from Sabiha Gökçen is included.) Only Germany will see more Turkish Airlines routes from (11). Its Italian network is summarized below, organized by flights in the middle of July as of December 30th:

  • Milan Malpensa: 4x daily A321/A330-300
  • Rome Fiumicino: 4x daily A321/A330-200
  • Venice: 3x daily A321
  • Bologna: 18x weekly 737-800
  • Naples: 12x weekly 737-800
  • Catania: 1x daily 737-800
  • Bari: 5x weekly 737-800
  • Palermo: 4x weekly 737-800

Click here for Milan-Istanbul flights.

Examining Turkish Airlines' Italy network since 2004 using OAG data indicates three previously served routes: Genoa (2011-2016), Pisa (2014-2019), and Turin (2011-2018).

Might Genoa, Pisa, or Turin return? Or might the increasingly popular Florence, despite its short runway, materialize? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

  • Turkish Airlines A330
    Turkish Airlines
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    TK/THY
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Istanbul Airport
    Year Founded:
    1933
    Alliance:
    Star Alliance
    CEO:
    Bilal Ekşi
    Country:
    Turkey