Dhaka: Turkish Airlines completed its inaugural scheduled flight between Istanbul Airport and Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan, Armenia, on Wednesday, March 11.

The new route carries political significance, representing a step toward normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia — two countries that have maintained an adversarial relationship since Armenia gained independence following the Soviet Union's dissolution in the early 1990s.

Turkey has long been a staunch ally of Azerbaijan, with which Armenia has had a decades-long territorial conflict. Following Azerbaijan's recapture of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region between 2020 and 2023, Turkey and Armenia entered normalization talks, including discussions on reopening their shared land border, closed for over three decades.

Air links have periodically played a role in advancing these negotiations. In 2022, charter services between the two cities were launched by Armenia-based FlyOne, followed shortly by Pegasus Airlines introducing a nonstop scheduled service.

Prior to Turkish Airlines' entry, Pegasus Airlines was the sole scheduled operator on the route, running a daily service between Zvartnots International Airport and Istanbul's Sabiha Gökcen International Airport.

Turkish Airlines operated a Boeing 737-900 on its inaugural flight and is currently offering a daily service from its Istanbul Airport hub. The carrier has announced plans to increase frequency to 10 flights per week.