Dhaka: Turkish Airlines is planning to operate flights between Istanbul and Auckland after a recent meeting between airline chairman Ahmet Bolat and Chris Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Bolat has indicated the first Istanbul-Auckland flights would operate with a layover in Singapore, a similar arrangement to its Istanbul-Melbourne service. Furthermore, it's likely passengers would be able to book the Auckland-Singapore and Singapore-Auckland legs as stand-alone flights.

However, non-stop flights between Auckland and Istanbul are also being considered, as the airline is set to incorporate ultra-long-range Airbus A350-1000 jets into its fleet in the coming years.

Upon receiving the first A350-1000s, Turkish will replace its current one-stop Istanbul-Sydney service with a 17-hour-long nonstop flight, dropping the stopover in Kuala Lumpur. Istanbul-Melbourne service will follow the approach later.