Turkish Airlines (THY) has placed an order with European aircraft manufacturer Airbus for two A330-300 passenger jets with an option for an additional three airliners, as part of its growth strategy.
The latest order takes the carrier’s total firm order for the A330-300 variant to 38 aeroplanes.
Turkish Airlines, which is 49% state-owned, had placed its first order with Airbus in 1984 and presently operates 104 Airbus jets in its fleet.
The airline plans to use the new aircraft on medium and long-haul routes from its hub in Istanbul.
Turkish Airlines chief executive officer Temel Kotil said: "This new order for A330s reinforces our commitment to a family of aircraft, which already helps us achieve our ambitious expansion plans, in a profitable and sustainable manner."
Featuring flight-by-wire technology and advanced onboard systems that provide high aerodynamic efficiency, the A330 range offers fuel-efficiency and covers a range of 5,450nm, with a maximum takeoff weight capacity of 240mt.
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By GlobalDataIt can accommodate up to 300 people with 36 seats in business class and the remaining in economy class.
Airbus COO Customers John Leahy said: "In response to the continuing strong demand, we’re making the A330 better and better, with new higher weight variants to offer more payload-range capability while keeping reliability at top level."
The European aircraft manufacturer stated that its aircraft incorporate unique cockpit and operational commonality that allows airlines to use the same pilots, cabin crews and maintenance engineers, resulting in significant cost savings.
Airbus has received 1,200 firm orders for A330 jets and more than 900 aircraft are in service with 100 operators worldwide.
A330 is available in passenger, freighter, VIP and military transport / tanker variants.
Image: Turkish Airlines plans to deploy the new A330-300s on medium and long-haul routes from its hub in Istanbul. Photo: courtesy of Airbus SAS.
