Turkish Airlines has signed a deal for the purchase of 117 Airbus aircraft. The deal is the biggest of its kind in Turkish Civil Aviation history and reflects Turkish Airlines impressive recent growth figures.

The Finance Minister of Turkey Mr. Mehmet Şimşek, Transport, the Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister of Turkey Mr. Binali Yıldırım, Turkish Airlines’ Board Chairman Mr. Hamdi Topçu, Turkish Airlines’ CEO Mr. Temel Kotil Ph.D., President and CEO of Airbus Mr. Fabrice Bregier all attended the signing ceremony in Istanbul at Turkish Airlines general management building.

The deal consists of 25 A321, 4 A320 NEO, 53 A321 NEO and options for 35 additional A321 NEO which will be delivered by 2015. It brings the Turkish Airlines fleet to an impressive 375 in total, including cargo airplanes, and the average fleet age will decrease to 5 years from its current figure of 6.6 years, by the end of 2020.

Mr. Hamdi Topçu, Board Chairman of Turkish Airlines said, “Turkish Airlines continues to expand through significant investment and positive growth figures. Deciding to order these aircraft and signing the deal is an important milestone on the path towards reaching our 2023 targets, the centenary of the foundation of our Republic. This agreement constitutes a giant step for Turkish Airlines on the way to becoming the biggest airline in Europe.”

Mr. Fabrice Bregier, President and Airbus CEO said, “I am very glad to be here in Turkey to sign the biggest order of Turkish Civil Aviation history. This new A320/A321 NEO order of Turkish Airlines is proves again the success of our aircraft in beating records since the first day of its production.”