Denver International Airport’s longest-ever flight — a nonstop leg from Denver to Istanbul — will take to the skies for the first time Tuesday evening.
The new Turkish Airlines flight will carry Colorado travelers 6,130 miles to Istanbul, marking the longest flight in DIA history, airport officials announced in April. The flight will take about 13 hours, longer than the 12-hour, 5,788 mile direct flight between Denver and Tokyo.
“This new partnership is expected to produce over $54 million in annual economic impact for Colorado and approximately 350 new jobs,” airport officials said.
The first flight is scheduled to take off from Denver at 6:05 p.m. Tuesday, according to Turkish Airlines’ booking website.
Nonstop flights between Denver and Istanbul — a service unique to Turkish Airlines — will depart DIA every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, according to the airline’s booking records. A fourth weekly flight, taking off on Sundays, will join the rotation on July 9.
Turkish Airlines is the 26th airline to operate at Denver’s airport and Denver will be the 14th U.S. city offering direct flights to Turkey.
DIA is the largest airport in the United States by size, covering 53 square miles of land. It also ranks among the busiest airports in the world — a record 77 million passengers went through DIA in 2023, up from 69 million in 2019.
The airport offers flights to 217 destinations, predominantly domestic. International air travel has grown steadily in recent years, accounting for more than 4 million travelers in 2023 — a 21% increase from 2022.
DIA now offers nonstop international flights to 31 airports in 17 countries.
Last year, airport officials announced new nonstop flights from DIA to Dublin, Ireland on Aer Lingus, starting on May 17. Colorado travelers can also reach London, Paris, Zurich, Reykjavik, Iceland, Munich, Frankfurt, Tokyo and a dozen cities in Mexico and Central America on nonstop flights.
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