Turkish Airlines has ordered 220 aircraft from Airbus, the European aircraft manufacturer announced on December 15, 2023.
The new order comprises 50 single-aisle A321 aircraft and 70 A350 widebody aircraft, comprising 50 A350-900s, 15 A350-1000s and 5 A350F freighters. This brings the airline’s Airbus order book to 504, 212 of which have already been delivered.
Throughout 2023, rumors have circulated about Turkish Airlines preparing to order up to 600 aircraft to fuel its continued growth. As recently as November 2023, some media outlets reported that the Turkish flag carrier was about to place a 355 aircraft order with Airbus, though this deal failed to materialize.
However, prior to today’s announcement, there has been a constant trickle of smaller orders placed by the Turkish flag carrier this year. Today’s order adds to the 10 A350-900s it purchased in September and the four it ordered in July.
In addition, Turkish Airlines has been sourcing aircraft elsewhere too. In November 2023, Turkish Airlines disclosed also that it was leasing 21 aircraft (20 narrow bodies and one widebody of an undisclosed type) from several lessors and in October it closed a deal to lease another 28 Boeing aircraft from AerCap (3 Boeing 787-9 and 25 737 MAX 8).
