Turkish Airlines arrived in Denver Tuesday.

Denver International Airport’s longest flight yet from Istanbul touched down at 4:10 p.m. 

The new route — more than 6,000 miles long — expands the travel hub’s reach to markets in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.

The flight also taps into the Turkish Airlines network, connecting Denver to nearly 90% of the world’s population, according to the air carrier.

DIA’s CEO Phil Washington mentioned at the route’s announcement in April that the new flight also boosts connections into one of the world’s fastest-growing economies: India.

The Istanbul route — which Turkish Airlines has been promising to its investors since 2021 — is also a sign of increased demand between the two regions as the number of passengers flying between Denver and Turkey’s largest city have gone up 50% since 2019, according to the airport.

Turkish Airlines will fly three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on a 316-seat Airbus A350-900 with a fourth flight on Sundays set to begin July 9. Denver is the air carrier’s 14th U.S. destination.

It’s the latest international flight local officials have locked down to grow Denver as a global travel hub and boost economic opportunities for companies to establish a U.S. presence in the metro area.

The Istanbul connection is projected to boost Colorado’s economy by more than $54 million and add 350 jobs, according to DIA.

Last month, DIA also saw the addition of Ireland’s flag carrier Aer Lingus with a flight to Dublin.

Nearly 50 city and business officials traveled to Dublin ahead of the inaugural flight to strengthen commercial and tourism ties between Ireland and Colorado.

Denver Mayor Hancock’s trip to North Africa to cost more than $100,000

The airport is also in discussions to attract a flight connecting Denver with Africa. Former Denver Mayor Michael Hancock visited Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and Cairo last year to attract African carriers to Denver. He also took a trip to Istanbul, Dublin and London in 2022 – all which now have nonstop flights.

“We have every assurance that we will have a direct flight to the continent of Africa very soon,” Washington said in April.

The airport is working on its Vision 100 plan to prepare for an expected 100 million passengers by 2027. It had a record number of passengers last year totaling nearly 78 million.