Turkish Airlines is suspending flights to 18 international destinations between May and June 2026, in a sweeping network restructure that affects routes across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia.
Schedule changes filed by the carrier this week confirm the cuts span four continents, with some routes not expected to resume until March 2027. The suspensions reduce the airline’s weekly departures by more than 100 flights and reflect a strategic push to concentrate capacity on higher-performing routes amid soaring fuel costs and ongoing regional instability.
The 18 suspended destinations
According to aviation data firm AeroRoutes, the full list of suspended destinations is: Aqaba, Billund, Bissau, Ferghana, Freetown, Havana, Hurghada, Juba, Kinshasa, Kirkuk, Leipzig/Halle, Libreville, Luanda, Lusaka, Monrovia, Najaf, Pointe Noire and Turkistan.
Several of the affected routes had been planned for resumption this summer but have now been cancelled entirely. Others form part of multi-sector services linking Istanbul with secondary cities via intermediate stops, which the airline is simplifying or terminating.
Africa takes the heaviest cuts
The majority of suspended routes serve African destinations. Flights to Kinshasa, Luanda, Lusaka, Libreville, Bissau, Juba, Freetown and Monrovia are among those being withdrawn. Multi-sector services connecting Istanbul with cities across West and Central Africa are also being scaled back, with routes such as Istanbul to Dar es Salaam via Lusaka set to end in May and June.
Some African city pairs retain service. Accra and Dakar remain on the schedule, though with reduced weekly frequencies.
European and Middle Eastern routes also affected
In Europe, flights to Billund in Denmark and Leipzig/Halle in Germany are suspended, with both routes falling into the longer suspension category that extends into the winter 2026/27 season. These cancellations form part of the airline’s broader effort to consolidate demand on more profitable European corridors.
In the Middle East, planned summer resumptions for Najaf and Kirkuk in Iraq and Aqaba in Jordan have been cancelled. Turkish Airlines separately continues to suspend flights to several Iranian cities including Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz and Tabriz, with those services not expected to resume before late October 2026. Tehran remains tentatively listed but subject to change.
In Central Asia, flights to Ferghana in Uzbekistan and Turkistan in Kazakhstan are also being suspended.
The sole route cut in the Americas affects Havana, Cuba, where the Istanbul service had been one of the few remaining direct links between the island and the wider global network.
Fuel costs and demand cited as key pressures
Jet fuel prices have risen sharply in 2026, with increases reported above 100% in Europe and significantly higher in the Middle East, placing acute pressure on long-haul and multi-stop operations. Analysts point to softening passenger demand in parts of Africa and the impact of geopolitical instability on Middle Eastern routes as additional factors behind the cuts.
The restructure is part of what the airline describes as a network optimisation effort, aimed at improving aircraft utilisation and aligning capacity with actual demand. Turkish Airlines has simultaneously announced an expansion of its pilot training fleet, ordering 10 additional Cessna Skyhawk aircraft to bring its training fleet to 76 aircraft, signalling continued confidence in long-term growth.
Passengers with bookings on suspended routes are advised to check the airline’s website and manage their reservations directly through the Turkish Airlines booking system.
