Turkish Airlines Orders 10 Airbus A350-900s

As part of its fleet expansion programme, Turkish Airlines has announced that it has placed orders with Airbus for 10 Airbus A350-900s, which are expected to be delivered between 2025 and 2027.

In a local stock exchange filing, Turkiye’s national carrier said: “Our Board of Directors has decided to purchase 10 A350-900 type passenger aircraft from Airbus, to be delivered in 2025, 2026, and 2027, in line with the growth targets of our Incorporation.”

The A350-900 is the world’s most modern and efficient widebody aircraft. It is a leader in the 300-410-seater category, promising unprecedented levels of efficiency and comfort.

The A350’s design incorporates state-of-the-art technologies and cutting-edge aerodynamics. One of its key features is fuel efficiency—thanks to its new generation engines and the use of lightweight materials. It is also the quietest aircraft in its class, reducing its noise footprint by 50% compared to previous-generation aircraft. This makes the A350 a good neighbour at any airport it frequents.

Further adding to the passenger experience, the A350’s Airspace cabin is the quietest of any twin-aisle aircraft, offering modern in-flight products for an unrivalled level of comfort during travel.

The latest order is in line with the bold growth strategy of Turkish, which plans to double in size by 2033 and carry 171 million passengers with a fleet of 818 aircraft, up from the current 435. Of these, 170-175 are in the category of medium-sized widebodies like the A350 and Boeing 787-9, so expect Turkish Airlines to announce further orders.

More New Aircrafts Planned

The airline is also expected to order 20-25 large widebodies, which could be a mix of A350-1000s and Boeing 777-9s. The biggest chunk of the order will be for some 400 narrowbodies, both the Airbus A320neo family and Boeing MAX.

Turkish Airlines said on August 10 in the Q2 earnings call that plans were underway to announce the mega-order soon. An announcement was expected in June on the sidelines of the IATA AGM Istanbul, but Turkish Airlines’ CEO Ahmet Bolat said that his airline needed more time to sort out the deals with the engine makers and would only announce the order in some two months.

2033 will be the 100^th year since Turkish Airlines was founded. The airline has already seen tremendous growth in the past decade, helped by an aggressive growth strategy and the opening of the new Istanbul airport.

During the COVID-19 crisis, Turkish was one of the most active airlines. It ended 2022 with a net profit of $2.7 billion, although this included $2.2 billion in deferred tax liabilities.

The 10-year strategy plan set the following targets for 2033. Turkish wants to achieve consolidated revenues of over $52.2 billion, up from $18.2 billion in 2022. It wants an EBITDAR margin of between 20% and 25% during 2023-2033. Last year, this margin was 29.2%.