Sichuan Airlines and Turkish Airlines Deepen Codeshare Partnership via Istanbul Hub

The deepening of this partnership marks a significant step for Sichuan Airlines as it seeks to broaden its international footprint without the heavy capital expenditure of new long-haul routes. By utilizing Turkish Airlines’ extensive network from Istanbul, the Chinese carrier can offer its passengers seamless access to a wide array of European destinations. This move underscores the growing importance of Istanbul as a bridge for Asian carriers aiming to capture high-yield transit traffic between the East and the West.

For Turkish Airlines, the collaboration strengthens its position in the competitive Chinese market, providing better feeder traffic into its primary hub. The arrangement allows both carriers to optimize aircraft utilization and improve load factors on routes connecting Chengdu and other Chinese cities to Türkiye. This strategic alignment reflects a broader trend of mid-market airlines relying on hub-and-spoke synergies to navigate the complexities of international fleet deployment and shifting passenger demand patterns in the post-pandemic era.

What to watch: Increased weekly flight frequencies between Chengdu Tianfu International Airport and Istanbul.