Turkish Airlines has major growth plans, despite already being huge, and flying to more countries than any other airline in the world.
In 2023, the airline announced how it planned to order up to 600 more planes, in order to fuel its growth. Shortly thereafter, we saw the airline place a substantial order with Airbus, though there wasn’t much news on the Boeing front. Well, that has finally changed.
Turkish Airlines places massive Boeing aircraft order
Turkish Airlines has today announced an order for up to 75 Boeing 787s. This includes a firm order for 35 787-9s, 15 787-10s, and options for an additional 25 787s, with the variants to be determined at a future date. All of the planes should be delivered between 2029 and 2034.
The airline has also announced its intention to purchase up to 150 more Boeing 737 MAXs, which would be the company’s largest single-aisle order from Boeing in history, if/when it’s finalized. Now, I wouldn’t read too much into the 737 MAX order just yet. Yes, I’m sure the airline will order more 737 MAXs, but for now it’s just talk.
If the 737 MAX order gets finalized, this would double Turkish Airlines’ Boeing fleet. Here’s how Turkish Airlines Chairman Ahmet Bolat describes this order:
“This landmark agreement represents much more than a fleet growth. It is a reflection of our leadership in the industry as well as our dedication to innovation and operational excellence. The addition of these advanced Boeing aircraft to our fleet will not only enhance our operational capabilities but also become a significant element supporting Turkish Airlines’ 2033 Vision of expanding our fleet to 800 aircraft.”
My take on Turkish Airlines’ latest fleet development
There’s nothing really surprising with this Turkish Airlines order. We know the airline wants to roughly double in size, so of course the airline was going to pick up more Boeing 787s, and possibly more Boeing 737 MAXs.
Turkish Airlines’ passenger fleet currently consists of around 370 planes, with roughly 320 more planes now on order. The airline now has firm orders for Airbus A321neos, A350-900s, and A350-1000s, along with firm orders for Boeing 787-9s and 787-10s.
Turkish Airlines’ Dreamliner fleet currently consists of 24 787-9s, and now there are a total of 41 787-9s (six as part of the previous order, 35 as part of the new order) and 15 787-10s on order.
When it comes to this order, there are really just two things that stand out to me:
- I’m surprised Turkish Airlines only ordered 15 787-10s; that seems like a really small firm order, since the plane has amazing economics, sufficient range for Turkish Airlines’ network, and the carrier has no problem filling planes
- It’s noteworthy how Turkish Airlines still hasn’t ordered the Boeing 777X, since you’d assume that this would at some point be of interest to the airline, as a new flagship aircraft
Of course if Turkish Airlines wants to actually double in size, we’re going to see even more orders, especially since some of the existing planes will also soon need to be replaced.
Bottom line
Turkish Airlines has placed a significant order with Boeing, as the airline has ordered up to 75 Boeing 787-9s. This includes 50 firm orders and 25 options, split between the 787-9 and 787-10. On top of that, the airline suggests that it plans to order up to 150 more 737 MAXs, though we’ll see what comes of that.
Given Turkish Airlines’ announcement a couple of years back of ordering 600 new planes, it was a matter of time until this order was announced.
What do you make of Turkish Airlines’ Boeing order?
