Turkish Airlines orders 20 Boeing jets
Abi BrayTurkey’s national carrier, Turkish Airlines, said that the company aims to fly 20 per cent more travellers this year and to become Europe’s third largest airline. From 2005 to 2008, Turkish Airlines had increased its passenger figures by 75 per cent to 22.6 million.
The airliner plans to purchase 20 more passenger planes from Boeing to further develop its fleet. The deal is valued at $1.6 billion at current list prices.
Turkish Airlines had already placed its order to Boeing, which includes 10 B737-900 ER jets, scheduled to be delivered starting 2011. The company is also planning to buy an additional 15 of the same model for delivery by 2013-2015.
With a passenger capacity of about 200, the additional B737 planes are planned for short and medium-haul flights. The newest announcement came only months after Turkish Airlines made public its plan of ordering 20 short to medium-haul jets from Airbus. The said Airbus jets are scheduled to be delivered from 2011 to 2012, with 10 more Airbus planes for 2013 delivery.
Turkish Airlines currently has a 130-plane fleet consisting of 63 Boeing jets. The airliner carries about 25 million passengers per year, and flies to 151 locations across the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
Turkish Airlines had increased last year its passenger capacity by 11 per cent, making it the fourth largest airline in Europe. The company’s stock rose 427 per cent in 2008, with net revenues of about $751 million. The 2008 figure was 327 per cent higher than 2007.
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