THY orders 117 Airbus planes in largest single deal

Turkish national carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) said on March 15 it has decided to buy 117 planes from European aircraft maker Airbus, with 82 firm orders and 35 options, between the years 2015 and 2020.

The carrier has been in talks with both Airbus and Boeing over the orders and Friday's announcement marks Turkey's largest single order for planes in history. The earlier record belonged to budget carrier Pegasus Airlines, which also turned its back on Boeing to order 100 Airbus jetliners in a $7.5 billion deal in December. THY, the world's fastest-growing major carrier, said in a statement it will determine subsequent financing for the order from Airbus, a unit of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS). The order consists of 25 A321-200, four A320 NEO and 88 A321 NEO aircraft.

THY carried some 39 million passengers last year and expects to boost this number to 46 million this year. Having secured $8 billion in revenue in 2012, the carrier anticipates this figure will hit $18 billion by the end of 2020, when the fleet is slated to have 375 aircraft. After launching 33 new routes in 2012, the carrier hopes to open as many as 40 more in 2013, around a quarter of them to Africa, and aims to be flying to every country in Europe by the end of the year.

Adapted from Worldbulletin