Turkish Airlines is expected to announce an order for 30 Airbus A220s soon, Haber Aero has revealed, according to sources at the airline.
The country’s flag carrier had previously said it was considering proposals from Airbus and Embraer, which offered the E2 family jets, but that the lower operating cost and longer range would have weighed in favor of the A220.
Haber Aero, however, does not indicate which variant Turkish intends to order. The A220 is produced in versions -100, for up to 135 passengers, and -300, with up to 160 seats, which is by far the most popular of the series.
The preference for Airbus is not surprising given that Turkish Airlines is an important customer of the European manufacturer. The airline operates a fleet of 116 A320 family aircraft in addition to 60 A330 widebdodies and six new generation A350s.
Name change
Rumors about the choice of the A220 come after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on June 14 that Turkish Airlines will be renamed Türkiye Havayolları, as part of an initiative aimed at changing references to the country, now officially called from “Turkiye”.
