Turkish Airlines Plans Flights to Yerevan Amid Thaw in Relations

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Turkish Airlines plans to begin flights to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, as relations between the two nations show signs of improvement after decades of tension. The airline made the announcement in a filing on Tuesday, stating the new route will be initiated if demand supports the service.

The announcement follows a significant meeting between special envoys from both countries, which took place in Armenia on September 12. Serdar Kılıç, Turkey’s special envoy for normalization with Armenia, crossed over the still-closed land border into Armenia for the discussions. This border has been shut to civilians from both nations for over 30 years.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry responded to the meeting with a statement indicating that both countries have resolved to undertake the necessary measures for other interested companies to commence flights to various destinations starting in the summer of 2026. Despite having yet to establish formal diplomatic ties, the two countries appear to be taking steps toward reconciliation.

One of the significant obstacles has been the historical dispute surrounding the mass killing of Armenians during the Ottoman Empire in 1915. Armenia refers to these events as genocide, whereas Turkey acknowledges the deaths but contests the classification, asserting that they occurred amidst civil strife during the collapse of the empire during World War I.

Amid the shifting dynamics, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Ankara in June to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for discussions aimed at fostering better relations. Should Turkish Airlines proceed with flights to Yerevan, it will not be the first airline to do so since Pegasus Airlines of Turkey and FlyOne of Armenia started operations between the two countries in 2022.