Turkish Airlines will start flying out of Denver International Airport with a nonstop route to Istanbul, expanding the airport’s reach to markets in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

It’ll be the longest flight out of Denver at more than 6,000 miles, beating out United’s route to Tokyo by almost 400 miles.

Flights will start on June 11, the world’s second busiest airport announced Thursday as it adds new flights to meet a goal of 100 million annual passengers by 2027.

The addition of Turkish Airlines gives DIA access to a network that reaches more than 90% of the world’s population and most of the global economy.

Istanbul Airport is a gateway to much of the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Turkish Airlines has 48 connections to Asia, 37 in the Middle East and 64 in Africa.

The new flight also better expands Denver’s reach to India, said DIA CEO Phil Washington.

“Today’s announcement has really been a long time coming and is one that the airport has been working on for many years,” Washington said.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston previously said when DIA announced the addition of an Aer Lingus flight to Dublin that the city is working to become an international hub to attract businesses to open their U.S. offices in Colorado and bring more tourism to the area.

“It opens up the market directly in Turkey,” Johnston said at a news conference Thursday. “It really is the best connectivity to markets all around the world.”

Turkish Airlines’ new Denver route — it’s 14th in the U.S. — will fly three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on a 316-seat Airbus A350-900. It will add a fourth flight on Sundays starting July 9.

“This new service to Istanbul, a dynamic city where east meets west, presents a tremendous opportunity for increased collaboration and exchange between our regions,” said J. J. Ament, CEO of Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, in a statement.

Turkey’s flag carrier has been publicly promising investors since 2021 it would come to Denver. It’ll be the 26th airline at the airport, getting DIA access to its 17th country.

As it waited three years to come to the city, Turkish Airlines added Seattle, Newark, Dallas, Vancouver and Detroit to its list of North American destinations. The company says it has the most international destinations of any airline.

“We are strongly committed to growing our presence in the U.S., with this representing our fifth opening since 2021,” said Turkish Airlines Vice President of America Sales Fatih Durmaz, “which now brings us to a total of 14 gateways in various regions of the country.”

Denver is Turkish Airline’s first destination in the Mountain West region.

Demand for seats between Istanbul and Denver are up 50% from 2019, according to the airport.

The new Istanbul connection is expected to boost the Denver area economy, according to the airport. It could generate more than $54 million for Colorado and add 350 jobs.

Turkish Airlines posted open job positions for a sales and station agent, marketing representative, cargo representative and accountant out of Denver several weeks ago.

But could an even longer flight be coming soon?

Denver officials have been in talks to bring Ethiopian Airlines to DIA, connecting it to Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa more than 8,000 miles away to better tap into Africa’s growing economy.

Former Denver Mayor Michael Hancock visited Addis Ababa and Cairo last year in a partially taxpayer-funded trip that cost more than $100,000. He also took a $66,000 trip to Istanbul, Dublin and London in 2022.

The efforts to find new connections are part of Denver’s plan to reach 100 million annual passengers by 2027. The airport is growing fast and had a record number of flyers last year at nearly 78 million.

The airport’s CEO said the trips to North Africa were successful and discussions are ongoing and “going well.” The airport is also working to add Amsterdam and more flights to Japan, he added.

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