In a move that is more about geopolitics than aviation, Turkish Airlines has agreed to purchase 225 Boeing aircraft, a massive order announced the day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with President Donald Trump in the White House. While the deal signals modernization at the Turkish flag carrier, its scale and timing suggest a deeper layer of transactional diplomacy at play.
In its public statement, Turkish Airlines said the move aligns with its fleet renewal ambitions: “With these orders, our entire fleet is targeted to consist of new-generation aircraft by 2035, thereby strengthening operational efficiency and supporting an average annual growth rate of around 6%.”
At the same time, Turkey has long groused over U.S. sanctions tied to its 2019 purchase of the S-400 missile system and its removal from the F-35 program. By anchoring a large aerospace purchase in Turkish Airlines, which is 49% owned by Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund, the Turkish government can claim domestic benefit while pushing leverage in defense diplomacy.
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