Turkish Airlines Orders Five More Boeing 777-300ERs

Turkish Airlines has announced an order for five Boeing 777-300ERs in a deal which Boeing values at $1.6 billion at list prices.

The Turkish flag-carrier has exercised options on five Boeing 777-300ER widebodies that were revealed in December 2012 as part of a previous firm order for 15 777-300ERs.

On July 22, 2013, Turkish Airlines firmed options on five Boeing 777-300ERs, to add to 15 already on order and 15 more already in service. Three of the latter were wet-leased, but Turkish had ordered all its other 777-300ERs directly from Boeing

Turkish Airlines now has 20 Boeing 777-300ERs currently an order from Boeing and has a fleet of 15 of the type already in service, 12 ordered directly from Boeing (the first of which was delivered in October 2010) and three wet-leased from another carrier.

“While having been cited as the ‘Best Airline in Europe’ [by the Skytrax annual survey] for the past 3 years and ranking among the world’s largest airline companies with its global network, Turkish Airlines has reinforced its position and energy with significant investments and growth figures as it continues to expand,” says Dr. Temel Kotil, chief executive officer of Turkish Airlines.

“We believe that the purchase of these new aircraft ‒ an important step in meeting the need to expand our fleet ‒ will further develop our existing relationship with Boeing,” adds Kotil.

The Boeing 777-300ER can seat up to 386 passengers in a three-class configuration and has a maximum range of 7,930 nautical miles (14,685 kilometers).

Boeing delivered Turkish Airlines’ first directly purchased 777-300ER on October 13, 2010. The carrier had previously leased five 777-300ERs from India’s Jet Airways on an interim basis. The aircraft delivered in October 2010 was the first of 12 Boeing 777-300ERs ordered from Boeing from 2009 and served as the platform for introducing Turkish Airlines’ new ‘Comfort Class’ cabin for the first time

Turkish Airlines currently serves more than 220 cities in 99 countries around the world.

In March, the carrier received its 100th direct delivery from Boeing and currently operates 92 Boeing 737NG-family single-aisle jets as well as 15 777-300ERs.

Additionally, Turkish Airlines has 108 Boeing jets on order, including 38 737NGs, 50 737 MAXs and 20 777-300ERs.

The carrier also has a large Airbus fleet, operating 84 Airbus A320-family single-aisle jets and 26 Airbus A330 widebodies.

In addition, Turkish Airlines has firm orders outstanding for four A320s, 87 Airbus A320neo-family aircraft, two A330-200F freighters and 17 A330-300s.