Turkish Airlines placed their first order with Airbus in 1984, and today operate 104 Airbus in total.

The new aircraft will be deployed on medium and long haul routes from the Turkish Airlines hub in Istanbul.

“As one of the fastest growing airlines, our strategy of growth needs to be fully supported by efficient, reliable and profitable aircraft,” said Temel Kotil, chief executive of Turkish Airlines.

“This new order for A330s reinforces our commitment to a family of aircraft which already helps us to achieve our ambitious expansion plans, in a profitable and sustainable manner.”

Airbus aircraft share a unique cockpit and operational commonality, allowing airlines to use the same pool of pilots, cabin crews and maintenance engineers, bringing operational flexibility and resulting in significant cost savings.

“We are very proud to win a repeat order from Turkish Airlines as it shows without doubt a strong endorsement for the A330 unique combination of unbeatable economics, versatility and fuel efficiency,” said John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer, customers.

“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 A330 Family, which spans 250 to 300 seats, and includes Freighter, VIP, and Military Transport/Tanker variants, has now attracted more than 1,200 orders, with over 900 aircraft flying with close to 100 operators worldwide.

The A330 is one of the world’s most efficient aircraft with best in class operating economics. With numerous ongoing product improvements, it still remains the most cost-efficient and capable aircraft, averaging dispatch reliability well above 99 per cent.