In a recent update to the Operations Registration System Manual (SIROS) of the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) of Brazil, it was revealed that Turkish Airlines registered operations between Istanbul (IST) and Santiago (SCL) in Chile, with a stopover in São Paulo/Guarulhos (GRU), Brazil, exercising the 5th freedom of the air.
According to SIROS, the airline intends to land in Chile on the upcoming December 12, 2024, with up to four flights per week on Airbus A350-900 aircraft, with a capacity of 324 seats, offering 2,632 seats per week.
The Chilean capital would thus gain access to Turkish Airlines’ network of 347 destinations, mainly to connect with Europe, East Asia, Central Asia, and Africa.
If confirmed, the new schedule would replace the current TK 194/193 flight, which operates four times a week. In total, Turkish would maintain its eleven weekly flights between Guarulhos and Istanbul.
Turkish Airlines had revealed that Santiago (SCL) would be one of the new mid-term destinations in a report published in September 2022. However, the following year, the president of Turkish Airlines, Ahmet Bolat, said during a press conference held during the 79th IATA Annual General Meeting in Istanbul, that for the moment they were excluding Santiago de Chile from their Latin American network, as they did not have enough and suitable aircraft to serve it non-stop.
Nevertheless, in early 2024, the National Tourism Service (SERNATUR) of the Andean country had reported that they held meetings with representatives of the airline.
Tentative Turkish Airlines schedule in Santiago
- Istanbul – São Paulo flight TK 215 IST 14:50 – 04:30 (+1) GRU / Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
- São Paulo – Santiago flight TK 215 GRU 06:05 – 10:00 SCL / Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
- Santiago – São Paulo flight TK 216 SCL 11:55 – 15:30 GRU / Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
- São Paulo – Istanbul flight TK 216 GRU 17:05 – 05:35 (+1) IST / Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
At the time of publishing this note, Turkish Airlines has not started selling this route.
If materialized, Santiago would become Turkish’s ninth destination in Latin America, after Buenos Aires (Argentina), São Paulo (Brazil), Bogotá (Colombia), Havana (Cuba), Mexico City and Cancún (Mexico), Panama City (Panama), and Caracas (Venezuela).
Additionally, it will compete in the market between Santiago and São Paulo, which is widely dominated by LATAM (70 weekly flights), SKY (21), and JetSMART (21). According to the Civil Aviation Board (JAC) of Chile, it is the country’s third most important international route, having transported 663,476 passengers during the first half of 2024.
