site.btaCan Turkish Airlines Improve Turkiye-Armenia Relations?

Against the backdrop of the 2025 announcement by Turkish Airlines that it will resume flights between Istanbul and Yerevan as of March 2026, Turkish and Armenian media reported over the previous week that the Turkish carrier and Armenian authorities are in talks over the possible launch of a direct Yerevan-Los Angeles line, which could be of strategic significance.

At the end of 2025, traditionally strained relations between Turkiye and Armenia gained fresh momentum toward normalization following an agreement reached by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a meeting in Washington on August 8 hosted by US President Donald Trump. After the meeting, Trump said Armenia and Azerbaijan had pledged to stop fighting “forever” and to restore relations after the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

A month later, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Aliyev and Pashinyan on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and expressed satisfaction with the positive developments in their relations.

The positive momentum also affected Turkish-Armenian ties. In the following months, officials from the two countries met at their shared border for the first time in years and agreed to speed up the reopening of border checkpoints and railway links. Talks within the normalization process continued, and the two sides agreed to ease visa procedures.

In this context, Turkish Airlines announced that it would resume Istanbul-Yerevan flights in March 2026, initially operating seven weekly flights and gradually increasing them to 14 per week. As the launch date approaches, media in both countries have reported on an even more ambitious project: a direct Yerevan-Los Angeles service, linking Armenia’s capital with one of the largest Armenian communities abroad.

On Tuesday, Lusine Gevorgyan, head of Armenia’s Tourism Committee, said Armenian authorities are holding negotiations with Turkish Airlines on opening the strategic route. The news was widely covered by Armenian outlets and Turkish news platforms.

A direct Yerevan-Los Angeles connection operated by Turkish Airlines could significantly enhance ties between Turkiye and Armenia. For Yerevan, whose recent foreign policy has been guided more by pragmatic necessity than ideological reflexes, the route could offer tangible benefits. For Ankara, it could serve as an effective soft-power tool to expand its influence in the South Caucasus through connectivity rather than confrontation.

The project could also carry domestic political implications, both within Armenia and among the Armenian community in Los Angeles, which has traditionally taken a firm stance toward Turkiye. For many Armenians living in and around Los Angeles, a direct and affordable air link would meet a practical need. If Turkish Airlines offers a competitive option, some members of the Armenian diaspora may prioritize convenience over ideology.

Such a shift, even if limited, could yield more lasting improvements in bilateral relations than political rhetoric alone and could influence Armenia’s domestic politics, where diaspora organizations hold considerable sway.

For Turkiye, the initiative also presents an opportunity, as Ankara has long sought sustainable channels of influence in the South Caucasus through soft power. In this sense, the involvement of Turkish Airlines could allow Turkiye to reshape its regional visibility through services and connectivity.

For now, the prospect of the route being launched and contributing to improved relations remains under discussion, with no guarantees of success. What appears clear, however, is that aviation diplomacy may open doors that traditional political negotiations have struggled to unlock.