Turkish Airlines is pleased to announce the arrival of its 15th Airbus A350-900 aircraft. As part of the airline’s expansion period, the airline received its 15th aircraft on Nov 17. The aircraft, with registration TC-LGO and the manufacturing serial number (MSN 638), took to the skies on Nov 17 from the Airbus base in Toulouse.
A350-900 of Turkish Airlines
The airline recently ordered several A350-900 from the manufacturer, and currently, they have received three deliveries of the variant. Airbus had held the aircraft under the final test. The test flight took place on October 23rd and November 10th. After the testing and finalizing of the documents, the aircraft was given a release after a week.
The aircraft departed on November 17 at 18:24 (local time), cruising for 3hr. The aircraft arrived in Istanbul at 23:26 (local time). The fact that the new aircraft is the airline’s 340th aircraft overall may be even more interesting.
The aircraft is able to accommodate over 314 passengers. It is fitted with a Rolls Royce Trent XWB engine, one of the most powerful and fuel-efficient engines. Compared to the old ones, the new engine is more silent and gives more fuel efficiency. The seats are spacious, with high ceilings and attractive lighting for a comfortable journey.
Turkish Airlines Fleets
The airline operates a fleet of 435 aircraft, including both Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Turkish Airlines’ largest occupation place will go for narrow bodies from Airbus such as A321neo and A321-200s. The airline currently has 9 A320neo, 41 active A321neo, and 72 A321-200s, out of which 13 variants of these are stored by the airline, according to Cirium’s latest data.
Turkish Airlines still operates the old and new versions of B737 fleets, with 85 B737-800, 30 B737-Max8 and 5 Max9 variants. When it comes to wide bodies, the airline has 49 A330 (200 & 300s), 33 B777-300ERs, 21 B787s and 15 A350-900s. According to ch-aviation data, Turkish Airlines is currently anticipating the arrival of 25 more A350-900s. This could expand the number of A350 airframes to 40.
Massive orders by Turkish Airlines
The airline has planned to double its fleet to 800 aircraft by 2033. The airline has placed a number of orders for wide-bodies and narrow-bodies from both of their current manufacturers. The fleet consists of 300 A320 variants, 200 B737s, 150 787s, 12 A350s, and 12 B777s.
They have also given a change for the cargo divisions, doubling to 50 Aircraft from 24 and with an expectation of welcoming the brand new A350F. The airline has no intention of purchasing any new A330 variants from Airbus, though they still operate the aircraft in short and medium-haul routes. Recently, they have introduced a new route to Łódź, Poland as part of its route expansion.
According to the Turkish aviation website, during the Dubai Airshow 2023, the airline has placed for Airbus fleets. The orders are 250 Airbus A321neo, 75 A350-900, 15 A350-1000s and 5 A350F.
What are your thoughts about their orders? Have flown in their A350s? Feel free to comment on your experience with them.
