Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Airport) has named Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan as its tentative launch destination for B737-9 operations.
According to ch-aviation analysis of schedule data, Turkish Airlines plans to deploy its incoming MAX 9s to run daily flights to the Kyrgyz capital from March 31, 2019, onwards.
Turkish Airlines' financials show it expects five B737 MAX 9s to deliver from Boeing (BOE, Washington National) in 2019 followed by five more in 2020. In 2018, it will take delivery of its first of seven B737-8s with TC-LCA (msn 60032) currently being assembled.
According to ch-aviation analysis of schedule data, THY has meanwhile cancelled its three times weekly B737-800 service from Istanbul to Stavropol in Russia's North Caucasus region from the end of October when it had planned to resume services on the route, leaving the Russian airport without international connectivity going forward.
