After the announcement by the chairman of the board of directors of Turkish Airlines, Ahmet Bolat, last May 1st, within the next two months the national carrier is expected to make a final decision on its plan to purchase 600 aircraft. The manager reiterated this today, on the sidelines of the annual summit of the International Air Transport Association (Iata) in Istanbul.

These are two maxi-orders, with the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing and with its European rival Airbus, for the purchase and sale of 400 single-aisle aircraft together with 200 jumbos. Part of the order is optioned aircraft (which may or may not be purchased).

"We were very close to concluding an agreement with one of the producers, but we will wait two months to announce our final decision", Bolat specified, adding that the final go-ahead will depend on an imminent decision by the Ankara government.

The goal is to upgrade the fleet to 435 aircraft by the end of 2023. The airline aims to carry 170 million passengers in 2033, more than double the 82 million it served in 2022. The new mega-order would increase company fleet to 810 aircraft within 10 years. Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines yesterday announced a codeshare agreement with ITA Airways to expand the network of destinations it serves.

On the matter see also the article published by AVIONEWS.