Turkish Airlines Orders 50 787s, Closes In On Deal For 100 737 MAXs

Turkish Airlines has announced a long-awaited Boeing purchase, placing a firm order for 35 787-9s and 15 787-10s, which marks its first commitment for the higher-capacity variant.

Turkish has also agreed to the outline of an order for 100 737 MAXs with Boeing which will be a mix of 737-8s and larger -10s. Ongoing negotiations with CFM International regarding Leap-1B engine pricing mean that order has not been closed yet, the airline says.

Options for 25 more 787s and 50 more MAXs have also been agreed by Boeing and Turkish.

The flag carrier says it is continuing engine negotiations for the 787 with manufacturers GE Aerospace and Rolls-Royce. Turkish's current 787 fleet is equipped with GEnx powerplants, although the airline's relationship with Rolls-Royce has grown with the opening of an engine shop in Istanbul for Trent engines powering Airbus widebodies. 

Deliveries of the 787s are planned between 2029 and 2034, Turkish says.

“This landmark agreement represents much more than fleet growth,” Turkish Airlines Chairman Ahmet Bolat said Sept. 26. “It is a reflection of our leadership in the industry as well as our dedication to innovation and operational excellence.”

The orders will enhance the carrier’s operational capabilities and support its “2033 Vision” of expanding its fleet to 800 aircraft.

“We are honored that Turkish Airlines has once again chosen the 787 and 737 MAX to power its future growth,“ Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stephanie Pope says. “As a proud partner to Turkey and the Turkish aviation industry for 80 years, we look forward to continuing our support of Turkish Airlines.“

Today, Turkish Airlines operates more than 200 Boeing aircraft, among them the 737-8/9, 737-800/900, 777-300ER, 777F and 787-9. The carrier also operates more than 200 Airbus aircraft, according to the Aviation Week Fleet Discovery database. Its Airbus fleet encompasses a mix of A320ceo/neo family aircraft and A330 and A350 widebodies. Its subsidiary AJet operates A320ceos/neos, 737-8s and 737-800s. 

The carrier expects the introduction of the 787-10 to reduce operating costs, with 25% greater fuel efficiency compared to the aircraft they will replace, the airline says. Turkish plans to deploy the 787-10s on high-demand routes, name-checking Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the U.S. as markets to which it could fly.

As of June 30, Turkish Airlines’ average fleet age is 10.1 years. The carrier targets a fleet of 520 to 525 aircraft by the end of 2025. At the end of July, Turkish and AJet operated 491 aircraft, according traffic results. 

Turkish Airlines serves 353 destinations in 131 countries.