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Turkish Airlines signed a firm order for 20 Airbus A320 Family aircraft on 30 December 2009. The order is for a mix of A319s and A321s with exact numbers of each to be finalised shortly. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery from 2011 onwards, and will be used for expansion of domestic and regional routes.

This new order brings the total number of Airbus aircraft ordered by the airline in 2009 to 36, including four A321s, 10 A330-300s and two of the all new A330-200F. Turkish Airlines introduced its first Airbus aircraft in 1985 and today operates the largest Airbus fleet in the country with a total of 67 aircraft, including 47 A320 Family aircraft, four A310s, seven A330s and nine A340s.

“The high reliability and low operating costs of our A320 fleet have been a key factor in our success so far and we see the aircraft as an integral part of our expansion plans” said Mr. Hamdi Topcu, Chairman of Turkish Airlines. “This order underlines our commitment to continued growth whilst providing the highest level of comfort to our passengers.”

“Turkish Airlines is one of the fastest growing European airlines and we are delighted that they continue to partner with Airbus to support their expansion” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “The additional A320s will allow Turkish Airlines to further exploit the commonality benefits offered by the Airbus Family of aircraft.”

Airbus aircraft share a unique cockpit and operational commonality, allowing airlines to use the same pool of pilots, cabin crews and maintenance engineers, bringing operational flexibility and resulting in significant cost savings.

Source: Airbus
Picture: Rob Vogelaar, ZAP16.com