Turkish Airlines Orders Additional Airbus A350

DALLAS — Turkish Airlines (TK) has confirmed its order for more Airbus A350 aircraft, despite delays in its larger 600-airplane order. The flag carrier of Türkiye has announced that it will be adding 10 additional A350-900 airframes to its fleet, aircraft that Airbus will deliver directly, bringing the total number of A350s in the TK order book to 40.

Christian Scherer, Head of Airbus International, expressed his confidence in the A350, stating that it offers greater range capability, passenger capacity, and comfort, making it the ideal platform to connect Istanbul to the rest of the world. He also emphasized the unbeatable economics and efficiency of the new-generation aircraft. Airbus is proud to continue expanding its partnership with TK and contributing to the growth of Türkiye's aviation sector.

Currently, TK operates 14 Airbus A350-900 units globally. The airline is also expecting the delivery of six more aircraft of this variant in the short-to-medium term. It's worth noting that three of the existing 14 airframes are dry-leased from AVIC Leasing.

Contemplating the A350ULR?

Turkish Airlines has expressed its desire to expand its reach to Australia and potentially New Zealand from its main hub in Istanbul (IST). If successful, it would become the first European airline to operate direct flights between these two regions.

Although there hasn't been an official announcement yet, both Airbus and Boeing have suitable aircraft options that can fulfill TK's ambition to fly to Australia. These include the Airbus A350ULR series and the Boeing 777X family. Airways magazine has approached Airbus for their perspective on this matter.

In December, TK explored the possibility of launching flights from Istanbul to Melbourne (MEL) using Boeing 787 aircraft. However, due to the limited range of the Dreamliner, the proposed route would involve a brief stop in Singapore (SIN) to refuel and potentially exchange passengers, taking advantage of the fifth freedom of the air.

This would make Singapore, a major Star Alliance hub, an important transit point for the journey.

Featured image: Brandon Siska/Airways

https://airwaysmag.com/turkish-airlines-receives-400th-aircraft/