Turkish Airlines to Acquire Five Airbus A330-300s and Two A330-200s

Released on Friday, June 19, 2009

Turkish Airlines today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for seven Airbus A330 widebody aircraft. The order includes two of the increased take-off weight version of the A330-200, which offers an extended flying range of up to 7,200 nautical miles, and five A330-300s, the most cost-effective aircraft in its class.

With deliveries scheduled from August 2010, Turkish Airlines will use the aircraft on their regional and long-haul routes.

"The A330s low operating costs and cabin comfort perfectly fits our ambitious growth plans. The new increased take off weight of the A330-200 will allow us to expand our long-haul network, linking Istanbul with New York, whilst the A330-300 will service our high capacity medium haul destinations," said Dr Candan Karlitekin, Chairman of Turkish Airlines.

"Turkish Airlines is one of the fastest growing European airlines and we are delighted that they have chosen the A330 to support their expansion," said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. "This order further cements our partnership, which dates back to 1985 when the airline introduced its first Airbus aircraft."

Turkish Airlines already operates 67 Airbus aircraft, including five A310s, 46 A320 family aircraft, seven A330s and nine A340s, fully exploiting the advantages of the unique Airbus commonality, allowing the airline to use the same pool of pilots, cabin crews and maintenance engineers.

The twin engine A330 is one of the most widely used widebody aircraft in service today. Airbus has won more than 1,000 orders for the aircraft and more than 600 A330s are in operation worldwide with 72 operators. The combined fleet has achieved more than 13 million flight hours and serves around 300 destinations worldwide.