For many airlines, establishing a presence in the Americas plays a key role in network strategy and development. While the US is typically seen as the most important market on this front, the Americas as a whole offer plenty to international airlines, with Canada to the north and Latin America to the South also being home to many compelling international destinations. 
Turkish Airlines covers all of these bases.
In a recent interview with Simple Flying, Ahmet Bolat, who serves as the Chair of the Board and Executive Committee at Turkish Airlines, gave an insight into the importance of the Americas as a pillar of his carrier’s long-haul strategy. As its fleet grows, this is also an area where it expects to diversify.
An Increasingly Important Market
Starting in the north of the region, present scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that Turkish Airlines currently serves three Canadian destinations from its main hub at the new 
Istanbul Airport (IST). Toronto (YYZ) is the most frequently served, with six Boeing 777 flights a week, while Montreal’s (YUL) three are split between the 777 and the Airbus A350.
Turkish Airlines’ third and final Canadian destination at present is Vancouver (YVR), to which it flies thrice-weekly using the 777 with sectors of around 12 hours in length. Going forward, Bolat explains that his carrier will “also continue strengthening our position in North America with additional frequencies and potential new gateways in the US and Canada,” so more Canadian destinations could be on the cards. He adds:
“Turkish Airlines is focused on expanding its presence across the Americas. We currently serve 26 destinations in the region, and our strategy includes exploring new routes in underserved parts of South and Central America.”
Almost 1,400 US Flights This Month
Much of Turkish Airlines’ presence in the Americas is centered around the US, with the carrier having penciled in a grand total of 1,386 flights to and from the nation this October. Collectively speaking, these services will offer 447,302 seats (at an average of 322.7 per flight) and 2,582,757,554 available seat miles (ASMs). 
New York JFK Airport is the top destination, with up to four rotations a day from Istanbul.
When it comes to adding new routes, Bolat explains that Turkish Airlines “takes a very data-driven and strategic approach [to] analyze passenger demand, connectivity potential, and the overall economic and cultural ties.” Los Angeles (LAX) and Chicago (ORD) are two other US destinations where this formula has hit the mark, with both of them seeing as many as three round trips a day from Istanbul this month.
Only three of Turkish Airlines’ US routes are served less than daily this October: Denver (DEN) has 20 rotations from Istanbul, Newark (EWR) has 27, and Boston (BOS) has 30. Wedged between these and the top routes are Detroit (DTW), Seattle (SEA), Atlanta (ATL), Houston (IAH), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Miami (MIA), and Washington (IAD), all of which are served once or twice a day in varying degrees.
Diversification Expected In Central & South America
Continuing further to the south, Latin America is a key up-and-coming market for Turkish Airlines as far as its transatlantic operations are concerned. The carrier has penciled in 405 flights to and from the region this month, offering 129,707 seats (at an average of 320.3 per flight) and 682,986,100 ASMs.
Among the Latin American gateways served by the 
Star Alliance member’s blossoming operations in the region are Bogota (BOG), Buenos Aires (EZE), Cancun (CUN), Caracas (CCS), Mexico City (MEX), Panama City (PTY), Santiago (SCL), and Sao Paulo (GRU). Bolat notes that Turkish Airlines is “just starting to make [its] presence known in South America,” and fleet growth will help catalyze this.
As the Turkish flag carrier looks to grow its presence in what is becoming an increasingly important market, it will continue to be shrewd with its network strategy when it comes to picking and choosing new destinations in the region. Indeed, in addition to the aspects already noted, Bolat adds that “competitive dynamics, operational feasibility, and long-term sustainability” are also key factors in getting routes going.
