During Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to New York to join the United Nations General Assembly, Boeing and Turkish Airlines announced a commitment to order 40 B787-9 Dreamliners.
“Our agreement to purchase B787 Dreamliners is a significant step forward in enhancing our passengers’ flight experience as these aircraft are the latest and one of the most advanced in the world,” said İlker Aycı, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines. “This order is set to play a key role in our growing business in the years to come, and we look forward to further continue our relationship with Boeing. During the talks to finalise the order, we are strictly evaluating the $1 billion worth of business volume for the local Turkish supplier industry.”
In addition to this order commitment, Boeing and the Turkish government also announced the Boeing Turkey National Aerospace Initiative, which is designed to support the growth of the Turkish aerospace industry, in conjunction with the targets set by Turkey’s Vision 2023, and strengthen Boeing’s presence in the market.
“Boeing’s relationship with Turkey spans more than 70 years and we have outstanding long-term partnerships,” said Ray Conner, Boeing Vice Chairman. “Working together with Turkey, we are now taking our collaboration to the next level, which will accelerate the growth of the Turkish aerospace industry while achieving Boeing’s long-term objective to expand its presence in the marketplace. Apart from this, we greatly value the new order commitment that we announce together with Turkish Airlines, the national flag carrier of Turkey, and aim to move this successful co-operation much more forward in the forthcoming periods.”
The initiative outlines a strategic framework that aligns Boeing investment and programmes with Turkish aviation industry’s key figures and stakeholders, in the areas of research, engineering and skills development. It also reflects Boeing’s confidence in the outlook for Turkey as a significant market and a leading global industry participant.
