Order For 100 Boeing Aircraft Coming

Turkish Airlines isn’t stopping its growth plans anytime soon, with more than 400 planes on order and a view to placing an additional commitment with Boeing for jets.

As the business aims to become one of the world’s largest carriers, growth in destinations and aircraft is needed to achieve that goal, and Turkish Airlines isn’t slowing down.

420 Aircraft Order To Be The Backbone?

Chairman Murat Seker has said that a plan to acquire around 420 aircraft remains on track, anchored by deals with Airbus and Boeing over the years.

The Airbus package covers 220 aircraft alone, with the airline having committed to 150 A321neos and 75 Airbus A350 jets across variants, and has even selected the upcoming dedicated freighter, the A350F, for Cargo services into the next decade.

On the other hand, the business has also committed to Boeing planes, but the appetite to strengthen this commitment is evident as the order book stretches into the next decade, with the view that a fleet of 1,000 aircraft by the mid-to-latter stages of the 2030s will be realistic.

Before 1,000 aircraft can be reached, Turkish Airlines will, over the next decade, thanks to its extensive orderbook, continue to scale deliveries to reach the 600, 700, and 800 marks before making the final climb to 1,000 units, giving it one of the largest fleets in the world.

Not only will these aircraft help replace older, less efficient aircraft to bring down costs, but, more often than not, the airline has selected jets with greater capacity than the aircraft they’ll replace, thereby increasing seats on routes as well.

Breaking Down Turkish Airlines & Boeing

Away from a sizeable deal with Airbus, Turkish Airlines has also built up a narrowbody and widebody backlog with American manufacturer Boeing through the years, and it’s not done.

The airline sees its earlier orders for jets as a focus on strengthening its short- to medium-haul fleet with the 737 MAX, complemented by the 787 Dreamliner for a more long-haul focus, a model already in the airline’s fleet.

These aircraft not only help replace existing planes but also provide a more efficient platform to scale capacity in the future. The jets complement a strategy that focuses on a split between Airbus and Boeing aircraft instead of strictly sticking to one planemaker for a specific role.

On top of its current backlog, Turkish Airlines has been repeatedly signalling its interest in acquiring roughly 100 additional Boeing jets. This would be a package not just to see dominated by the 737 MAX, but yet again to look towards adding extra long-haul-capable jets, depending on deals, feasibility, and performance within the fleet.

One of the more heavily reported inclusions in the order for 100 jets from Boeing is the flagship 777X. Ahmet Bolat said discussions were ongoing for the planes, all but confirming that an order would arrive when the time is right, but there is no rush to finalize such a deal.

Turkish Airlines’ backlog is healthy, but with renewal and the need to grow the fleet, the carrier will be forced to continue working closely with Airbus and Boeing to reach its target of 1,000 aircraft. Hitting that figure will be pivotal to ensuring that capacity from the mid-2030s is served and fed through its global hub in Istanbul.

Ambitious airlines like this for Airbus and Boeing present a unique opportunity not only to ensure they can supply hundreds of planes, but also to secure production of their models well into the next decade. These types of transactions are huge for relations but equally for the finances, and give confidence that programs will be profitable for 10 more years.