Turkey plans to produce planes, minister says

ANKARA

AFP Photo

Turkey plans to manufacture planes with a capacity of 60 to 120 passengers, Minister of Transportation Binali Yıldırım said during a live interview on Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) yesterday.

“Turkey spent around $14.5 billion on airway vehicles and materials over the last decade. We need to produce our local planes to decrease the current account deficit,” he noted.

Yıldırım said that the ministry made a presentation covering the issue at the cabinet meeting at the beginning of the week. “We have all reached a mutual understanding to proceed immediately,” he added.
As a first step, Turkey plans to manufacture regional planes that can fly for around three hours.