Turkish Airlines will order a total of 600 new aircraft in June and they will be delivered within ten years, company chairman Ahmet Bolat said on Thursday.
Such an order, if confirmed, would be the largest in the industry’s history by a single airline, eclipsing a record order by Air India for 470 Airbus and Boeing planes in December, but his comments took some industry sources and analysts by surprise.
“During the IATA Annual Assembly, which will be held in Turkey, we are going to announce the orders. We are finalizing talks with one of the big manufacturers. We are going to order about 600 aircraft,” Bolat said.
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The annual summit of IATA, which groups some 280 airlines, will be held in Istanbul from June 4-6.
Bolat said the airline was close to closing a deal with Boeing for part of the order, but gave no further details.
He also indicated that they could deliver an order for the rest of the new aircraft “to the other manufacturer” at the upcoming European air show in June, in an apparent reference to Airbus.
The Paris Air Show takes place the week of June 19.
Turkish Airlines has ambitious plans to attract more traffic to its Istanbul hub, competing with European and Gulf rivals.
By Ceyda Caglayan – Reuters
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