Turkish Airlines Has Signed For Airbus Jets

Turkish Airlines is placing a significant order for hundreds of Airbus aircraft.

As part of this order, talks emerged that an announcement could come at the 2023 Dubai Airshow, where the industry pays close attention.

However, Airinsight reports, alongside Reuters, that Airbus spokespeople said an announcement would be unlikely.

The @TurkishAirlines @airbus order is unlikely to be announced at @dubaiairshow, a spokesperson of the OEM says. The order has been confirmed, but a public announcement has no priority
— AirInsight (@airinsight) November 14, 2023

Typically, airlines announce significant aircraft deals at a major airshow to gain maximum traction.

However, whether or when an announcement comes from this Turkish Airlines deal, revealed less than a week ago, remains to be seen.

The Massive Turkish Airlines Order

As part of its growth strategy, Turkish Airlines needs many new aircraft to enter its fleet.

Turkish Airlines plans to become a leading force in the global industry and expand its services to markets such as Australia.

A new deal would span multiple aircraft types and, by 2033, see the airline flying 800 aircraft in total, provided everything goes according to plan.

The Airbus A350 would be the centrepiece of the deal, with expectations that Turkish Airlines would order 75 A350-900s alongside 15 A350-1000s.

As part of this commitment, Turkish Airlines would become the world’s largest operator of the Airbus A350.

The expectation is that the Turkish Cargo division would also commit to the A350F.

Turkish Airlines would also look to enhance its narrowbody fleet with 250 Airbus A321neos ordered. This ever-popular variant has seen its backlog only continue to increase.

#breakingnews | GIANT AIRBUS ORDER OF 355 FROM TURKISH AIRLINES

🔴Turkey's flag carrier Turkish Airlines placed a giant Airbus order for 355 aircraft.

Turkish Airlines;
🔴250 A321 NEO aircraft,
🔴75 A350-900 aircraft,
🔴15 A350-1000 aircraft,
🔴5 A350F cargo planes,
An about… pic.twitter.com/pNtXJMCglY
— HavaSosyalMedya (@HavaSosyalMedya) November 11, 2023

Turkish Airlines’ Current Fleet

The Turkish-based airline currently operates with 366 in-service aircraft, per Cirium’s latest data.

The airline’s largest fleet types, by active units, come from the Airbus A320 family. 41 in-service A321neos follow 72 in-service A321-200s.

A commitment to the Boeing 737 series follows these A320 jets, with 41 in-service 737-800s still. It also flies the 737-8 from the MAX series.

However, these numbers will increase significantly with time thanks to this rumoured commitment to the A321neo. Cirium also notes that 13 A321neos remain in storage too.

36 Airbus A330-300s and 33 777-300ERs help lead the airline’s widebody operations. Its next-generation widebody aircraft are currently the 787-9 and A350-900.