Istanbul-based Turkish Airlines has signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire 25 A350-900 aircraft, plus five options, underlining its strong confidence in the global market-dynamism and growth.

“With Turkish Airlines serving more destinations than any other airline around the world, we are delighted to build our future on Airbus’ all-new A350 XWB to support the development of our international route-network from our Istanbul and Ankara hubs,” said Turkish Airlines chairman, M. Ilker Ayci.

Turkish Airlines currently operates an Airbus fleet of 167 aircraft with a further 92 A321neo on backlog.

Turkey is an integral part of the Airbus supply chain for almost 20 years, being a partner in all Airbus aircraft programmes, including the prestigious A350 XWB.

“We are extremely proud at Airbus to count Turkish Airlines as a new A350 operator, the world’s most modern and efficient widebody aircraft.” said Eric Schulz, chief commercial officer, Airbus.

“This order strengthens and expands the long-lasting partnership between Airbus, Turkish Airlines and Turkey overall.”

The A350 XWB is an all new family of mid-size wide-body long-haul airliners shaping the future of air travel, featuring the latest aerodynamic design, carbon fibre fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.

Together, these latest technologies translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency, with a 25 per cent reduction in fuel burn and emissions, and significantly lower maintenance costs.

At end February 2018, Airbus has recorded a total of 854 firm orders for the A350 XWB from 45 customers worldwide.

Samarkand

Turkish Airlines today it is launching flights to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from March 16th.

Samarkand will become the 302nd destination served by Turkey’s national carrier and marks another milestone in its ambitious international expansion.

UK travellers will be able to take advantage of two flights per week to Uzbekistan’s second largest city, operating on Tuesdays and Fridays, via Turkish Airline’s international hub in Istanbul. 

The route’s inaugural flight will take place later this week, and representatives from the Uzbek government, Samarkand International Airport and Turkish Airlines’ officials will take part in a short ceremony to mark the occasion.