Turkish Airlines is a major operator to the US. The Star Alliance member’s passenger jets are currently flown from Istanbul Airport (IST) to 14 airports: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Houston Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York JFK, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington Dulles.

In the all-important Q3 2026 (July-September), Cirium Diio shows that Turkish Airlines plans an average of 21 daily departures to the US, with the number varying from 18 to 24 each day. Compared to the same three months last year, its offering has fallen by 8%, which is from fewer flights on ten routes. Nonetheless, the US remains the carrier’s second most-served international country, after Germany.

Turkish Airlines Plans Flights To Minneapolis

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At the International Air Transport Association’s annual general meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Simple Flying interviewed Turkish Airlines’ Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Prof. Dr. Murat Şeker. As part of this discussion, Şeker revealed some tidbits about the carrier’s plan for the US. Some of the revelations were intriguing.

Şeker stated that Turkish Airlines aims to fly from IST to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). There is no indication of how long this has been planned or how far along it is from the germ of an idea to the launch date. It is also unclear if it is simply on a wishlist, or part of a real, genuine want-to-begin list. In 2023, fellow Star member Ethiopian Airlines stated its desire to fly to MSP, but nothing has materialized yet.

MSP would be an intriguing addition to Turkish Airlines’ map. Based on the countries to which many of the airline’s US passengers fly, booking data for April 2025 to March 2026 suggests a market of 230,000 round-trip passengers (630 daily). A three or four-weekly Airbus A350-900 or Boeing 787-9 service is probable. The local IST-MSP market had 12,000 round-trip passengers.

The top ten connecting targets would be Nairobi (48,000), Athens (29,000), Jeddah (19,000), Dubai (16,000), Addis Ababa (14,000), Cairo (13,000), Delhi (10,000), Johannesburg (9,000), Mogadishu (8,000), and Mumbai (8,000). Given MSP’s overall traffic to Africa (120,000+ passengers) and Turkish Airlines’ very strong network there (50+ airports), that vast continent would be very important. However, do not expect Turkish Airlines to announce MSP flights until the political situation in Minneapolis improves.

Philadelphia Is Also Targeted

The more surprising revelation is Turkish Airlines’ interest in Philadelphia. Yes, it is a major city, with approximately 6.3 million people living in its metro area. But not even Emirates, Etihad, or Qatar Airways fly to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). However, until the war in Iran started, American Airlines flew from its PHL hub to Doha on behalf of Qatar Airways. Given that American has confirmed the route will not return, Qatar Airways itself is set to resume service to PHL. Expect that route to be announced soon.

Traffic analysis shows a potential market of 120,000 passengers for Turkish Airlines, which is considerably smaller than MSP’s opportunity (230,000). However, this relatively small volume is understated, as it does not account for those who are leaked from PHL’s catchment area to Newark, New York JFK, or Washington Dulles for more flight options. In Q3, Turkish Airlines alone will serve those three airports five to seven times daily. If it does eventually fly to PHL, a three-weekly frequency is likely.

Turkish Airlines’ top ten connecting segments from PHL would be Athens (31,000 passengers; but only because American has nonstop flights), Mumbai (11,000), Delhi (7,000), Cairo (6,000), Lagos (6,000), Dubai (5,000), Accra (5,000), Nairobi (5,000), Doha (4,000), and Johannesburg (4,000). It may also capture passengers who backtrack further into Europe. For example, in the 12 months to March 2026, booking data shows that 470,000 passengers (1,288 daily) flew Turkish Airlines between the US and Italy, Spain, and Central and Eastern Europe (excluding the Balkans).

Then There Is Orlando

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Şeker also stated that IST to Orlando International Airport (MCO) is coming. But unlike MSP and PHL, this was a completely predictable route, as The City Beautiful has appeared in Turkish Airlines’ investor relations documents for several years. While it continues to do so, there is still no indication when service will be officially announced.

Curiously, neither MSP nor PHL have ever appeared in Turkish Airlines’ planned routes list. This does not necessarily mean it is not serious about launching flights to those places. However, US cities that have fairly recently welcomed Turkish Airlines, including Denver (2024), Detroit (2023), and Seattle (2022), were on the list.