DENVER — A new airline has arrived in Colorado.
Turkish Airlines inaugurated service between Denver International Airport (DIA) and Istanbul Airport (IST) Tuesday afternoon.
The new service expands DIA's international network to reach 31 nonstop destinations in 17 countries, the most in the airport's history.
Turkish Airlines is the 26th airline to operate at Denver's airport.
Turkish's new route flies a distance of around 6,130 miles, or around 12 hours in the air — the longest in DIA history. Denver's previous longest scheduled flight was Tokyo-Narita, served daily by United Airlines, at 5,788 miles.
Service between Denver and Istanbul will operate Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays throughout the year. A fourth weekly flight, on Sundays, will be added on July 9.
Flights are scheduled to depart Denver at 7:35 p.m. and arrive in Istanbul at 4:15 p.m. the next day. Returning flights from Istanbul will depart at 1:55 p.m., arriving in Denver at 5:40 p.m.
First announced in April, the route will use a 316-seat Airbus A350-900, the airport said.
Turkish Airlines arrives in Denver
Economic impact
Turkish Airlines becomes the fifth member of the Star Alliance to serve Denver, joining Air Canada, Copa, Lufthansa and United.
The new service is estimated to produce more than $54 million in annual economic impact to Colorado's economy, according to DIA. Another 350 new jobs will be created in Colorado as a result of Turkish Airlines' arrival in Denver, the airport said.
Founded in 1933, Turkish Airlines serves as Turkey's flag carrier primarily operating through its main hub at Istanbul Airport.
Denver is the 14th United States destination served by the airline, the airport said.
Current destinations in the United States served by Turkish Airlines include Washington, D.C., New York City, Newark, Boston, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle.
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