Turkish Airlines places mega order for over 350 jets

ISTANBUL – Turkish Airlines has placed an order for the purchase of 355 Airbus aircraft, surprising the aviation industry experts and competitors alike.

The order includes A321 and A350 aircraft and Turkish Airlines chief executive Bilal Eksi confirmed in a statement that the airline has ordered as many as 355 aircraft, expanding the fleet of the carrier from its existing strength of 439 jets.

“I wish good luck to our country and our company,” Eksi said.

In another statement, Turkish Airlines said that the purchases would be made as part of its strategic plan for 2023-2033 though the exact number of jets is still unclear.

Turkish Airlines stated it had made firm orders for 230 jets and placed purchasing rights for an additional 125 aircraft; however, Airbus said the 230 figure included 10 jets Turkish Airlines had ordered in September and thus covered only 220 new aircraft.

In any case, the airline’s confirmed order purchase has a catalogue price of over $40 billion but this is not the biggest aviation deal in history.

Earlier this year, India’s famous airline, Air India placed orders for 470 Boeing and Airbus passenger jets. The deal was Airbus’ third-largest sale of all time, in dollar value, and its second of all time quantitatively.

The US President Joe Biden termed the agreement ‘historic’ and discussed it telephonically with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at that time. 

India in particular has seen a rising demand for air travel fuelled by multiple factors including the growth of the middle class that now prefers air travel for travel.