Turkish Airlines, Boeing sign long-term collaboration agreement

ISTANBUL

Turkish Airlines and Boeing on Jan. 29 signed a collaboration agreement which will strengthen the Turkish carrier’s long-term industry leadership, as well as the country’s aerospace and technology capabilities, while building on their 70-year relationship. 

In the agreement, Turkish Airlines and Boeing identified several potential areas of new cooperation, expanding Boeing’s already-significant investment within Turkish industry.

Turkish Airlines chair İlker Aycı and Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner signed the Strategic Alliance Agreement during a visit by the airline’s executives to Seattle for the delivery of their new Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range) and two next-generation 737-800s.

“Turkish Airlines is one of the world’s leading carriers that established its position through strategic investment in its fleet, product and network resulting in impressive passenger growth figures. With today’s signing we deepen our relationship with one of the leading brands in the aerospace industry, our long-term partner Boeing, and continue to seek new, innovative ways to grow Turkish Airlines,” Aycı said.

“Boeing is proud to further our strong, committed relationship with Turkish Airlines in ways that support both companies’ profitable growth and Turkey’s long-term development,” Conner said. 

“Together, Boeing and Turkish Airlines will identify and develop new, mutually beneficial business opportunities that build on and complement our mutual strengths,” he added.

Suppliers across Turkey currently support all five Boeing Commercial Airplanes programs delivering Turkish-made components valued at more than $120 million annually. Building on these strong industrial ties, the new agreement between Boeing and Turkish Airlines identified several additional areas of long-term cooperation. They include development and training, activities to enable the global competitiveness of Turkey’s aviation manufacturers and support for Turkey’s research and technology capabilities and aerospace infrastructure. 

Turkish Airlines and Boeing share a long history that dates back to 1945, with the arrival of the airline’s first DC-3/C-47 airliners. Turkish Airlines entered the jet age in the late 1960s, when the airline began operating DC-9, DC-10 and Boeing 707 airplanes. 

Many new airline companies established after the way was paved for the development of civil aviation have also flown the Boeing 727, 757, MD-80 and the most modern 737 and 777 airplanes. Turkish Technic, a subsidiary of the airline, is a world-class maintenance center for Boeing 737 airplanes, with certifications from regulatory authorities throughout the region and beyond.

Boeing has maintained a long-standing and mutually beneficial relationship with Turkey since the mid-1940s. In addition to providing commercial jetliners, Boeing is a supplier of defense products for the Turkish armed forces and a significant and trusted partner of the Turkish aerospace industry.