Photo: China Southern Airlines

China Southern Airlines is expanding its Guangzhou–Istanbul route as Türkiye introduces visa-free entry for Chinese travellers, a move expected to boost tourism and business travel between the two countries.

Türkiye has announced that from January 2, 2026, holders of ordinary Chinese passports will be exempt from visa requirements for short-term tourist visits and transit travel. Under the new policy, travellers may stay for up to 90 days within any 180-day period, significantly easing entry for Chinese visitors.

According to the airline, its Guangzhou-Istanbul service will expand from three return flights per week to daily operations starting March 21. From March 30, the route will increase further to ten return flights per week.

Photo: China Southern Airlines

The airline currently operates direct services to Istanbul from Guangzhou, Beijing Daxing and Urumqi. The Guangzhou-Istanbul service is operated using Boeing 787 aircraft. Outbound flight CZ8065 departs Guangzhou at 00:50 and arrives in Istanbul at 07:10. The return flight, CZ8066, leaves Istanbul at 14:10 and arrives in Guangzhou at 05:25 the following day (all times local).

In addition to the Guangzhou expansion, China Southern plans to increase frequencies on its Beijing Daxing and Urumqi routes to Istanbul. Once the adjustments are completed, the airline’s total weekly flights between China and Türkiye are expected to reach 17.