Turkish Airlines continues to show great ambitions: in addition to announcing a revamped catering offer, it will soon place what will be the largest aircraft order in history.
An order for 600 aircraft to come
We recently told you about the limitless ambition of Turkish Airlines, with fleet targets that suggested a very large order was imminent.
This is confirmed: the airline will soon announce that it will place an order for 600 aircraft to reach its target of a fleet of 800 aircraft in 2033 (390 today). This is more than the announced target but we can guess that in the mean time some old aircraft will be retired.
However, we know more about its composition.
This order will include 400 single-aisle and 200 twin-aisle aircraft. From which manufacturers? No surprises here: we can expect an equal split between Airbus and Boeing. Today, the airline operates aircraft from both manufacturers and almost all of their models (with the exception of the A220) and does not intend to change its strategy, which protects it from the production difficulties of one of the two manufacturers.
The previous record was held by Air India with an order for 470 aircraft (250 Airbus and 220 Boeing) last February.
On the Boeing side, we expect to find B737s and B787s, and on the Airbus side A320-321s and A350s. If some things remain unknown, it is a question of knowing whether Airbus will choose to focus on the A350 for twin-aisle aircraft or whether the A330Neo will be added to the order. The same goes for the single-aisle A220, which is more energy-efficient but may be a little too small in the absence of any announcement of a larger capacity version. On the Boeing side, will the Turkish airline join the list of 777X customers? Despite the delays encountered by the program, we are willing to bet that they will.
Why so many single-aisle aircraft for an airline with a limited domestic and regional market? Because it does not hesitate to serve secondary airports directly to feed its Istanbul hub and these aircraft give it more flexibility. You will not see Emirates, for example, in Toulouse, Bordeaux, Strasbourg or even Gothenburg, Cologne, or Naples…but Turkish Airlines goes there.
A revisited menu
If there is one thing that has never disappointed us on our flights on Turkish Airlines, regardless of the class of travel, it is the food. An area that the airline intends to further improve with a revamped offerring.
In the new menus of the economy classunlike in the past, egg dishes, homemade muesli and cheese varieties will be offered for breakfast hours, while for mealtime flights, regional appetizers will be served with freshly made pasta and grilled meats.
For business class meals, homemade pasta, homemade meatballs and spaghetti are added, as well as main dishes such as the charcoal-baked, hand-sliced Adana kebab, grilled fish and many regional appetizers.
In addition, whereas previously only two main course options were offered during breakfast service, three different main courses will now be offered. Other options such as pancakes, crepes and French toast are also added to the menu.
Of course, this will have to be tested, but in the meantime we leave you with the video that accompanies this announcement.
Bottom line
Turkish Airlines is asserting its long-term ambition with an impressive order for 600 aircraft and its short-term ambition with a reinvented, healthier catering offer that puts the emphasis on local products.
Considering the quality of what was proposed before, we are curious to discover the new menus of the Turkish airline.