Flying to more countries than any other airline, Turkish Airlines continues to add new destinations to its flight network.

Turkey’s national flag carrier launched operations to the UNESCO World Heritage ancient city of Bukhara, the airlines confirmed on Thursday.

The global brand’s TK266 flight landed its A321neo type aircraft in the Uzbek city for the first time on 7 June where it was welcomed with a water salute.

“We are happy to add Bukhara, the city that invites travellers to an historical journey,” Turkish Airlines General Manager Bilal Ekşi said during the ceremony held at Bukhara International Airport.

“As our flights to the city that lives past and present together supports the economic and sentimental ties between Türkiye and Uzbekistan, it also ensures Uzbekistan’s historical streets are even more accessible to travellers from all around the world,” he added.

Starting from 7 June, reciprocal flights between Istanbul Airport and Bukhara International Airport will be operated two days a week (Tuesday and Friday), departing from Istanbul Airport at 01:30 and from Bukhara International Airport at 09:10.

As a spiritual heart of Turkish-Islamic history and one of three cities in the world holding the title of Kubbet-ül İslam (Domes of Islam), Bukhara has become popular among millions of travellers due to its rich Islamic history and culture.

Strengthening its ties to Turkish-Islamic world throughout history, Türkiye is aiming to increase operations in the region with various flights by the flag carrier.