Turkish Airlines suspends 18 destinations amid rising geopolitical tensions

Turkish Airlines is suspending flights to 18 international destinations from May 2026 in what appears to be its largest network adjustment in a long time, several media outlets reported. 

The Turkish flag carrier is known in the industry for the regular addition of new destinations to what is already the largest and most comprehensive international network in the world. During a press conference attended by AeroTime in October 2025, the airline’s then Chairman Prof. Ahmet Bolat boasted that when Turkish Airlines launches a new route, it very rarely discontinues it. 

This time rising fuel prices and geopolitical tensions appear to have been too strong to ignore and have forced a downward temporary revision of the carrier’s geographical coverage. 

To this batch of discontinued destinations, it is necessary to add another five destinations in Iran that were suspended at the end of February 2026 due to the start of the open military confrontation between the Islamic Republic on one side and the United States and Israel on the other, namely Tehran (IKA), Esfahan (IFN), Mashhad (MHD), Shiraz (SYZ) and Tabriz (TBZ). 

Most of the suspended routes are in Africa, although the list also includes some cities in the broader Middle East, Central Asia, Latin America, and Europe. 

This measure affects flights connecting Istanbul (IST) to Billund (BLL), Ferghana (FEG), Freetown (FNA), Hurghada (HRG), Kinshasa (FIH), Leipzig/Halle (LEJ), Libreville (LBV), Luanda (LAD), Lusaka (LUN), Najaf (NJF), Pointe Noire (PNR), and Turkistan (HSA). 

Among those particularly affected are the multi-stop, triangular routes Turkish Airlines runs in some African regions, such as the service linking Istanbul to Luanda and Kinshasa or the one linking the Turkish hub to Libreville and Pointe Noire, both in Gabon. 

In the case of Cuban capital Havana (HAV) services were already suspended due to the scarcity of fuel on the island, but a planned resumption of service has now been put on hold. 

Some routes were not yet in operation, but their planned launch has also been suspended. This is the case for Aqaba (AQJ), Bissau (OXB), Juba (JUB), Kirkuk (KIK), Monrovia (ROB), and Najaf (NJF). 

AeroTime has reached to Turkish Airlines for comment.

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