Turkish Airlines expanded its Russian network on 14 March when the Star Alliance member launched its eighth route out of its Istanbul Atatürk (IST) hub to the country. Turkish Airlines now flies three times weekly with 167-seat 737-800s to Novosibirsk (OVB), the Siberian airport analysed this week. Prior to this launch, the airline already served Moscow (Sheremetyevo, about to move to Vnukovo), St Petersburg, Ufa, Yekaterinburg, Sochi, Rostov and Kazan. Flights on the new 4,200-kilometre route operate overnight, departing Istanbul on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and returning from Novosibirsk the following morning.
