Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) has notified select customers of further delivery delays affecting the A350 jets in the latter part of the 2020s. The delays originate from production problems at the former Spirit AeroSystems plant in the United States. Airbus acquired the facility in 2025, though staffing shortages have hindered the transition.
According to ch-aviation data, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, and Air India hold the largest number of direct A350 orders, with 76, 53, and 43 units, respectively.
Separately, supply disruptions impact Spanish production of cargo doors for the A350F. The OEM still aims to complete the freighter's first flight in 2026 and achieve its initial delivery in 2027.
Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Airport) will modify up to five A350-1000s to fly non-stop to Australia and beyond, CEO Bilal Eksi recently told Aviation Week. The aircraft could have up to 60 business class seats, reducing overall weight and allowing it to fly further, he said, adding that flights to New Zealand are on the cards, albeit not until at least 2026.
Turkish Airlines commenced flights to Australia this year. Thrice weekly flights to Melbourne Tullamarine use A350-900 stock and fly via Singapore Changi for refuelling, while 4x weekly services to Sydney Kingsford Smith use the same aircraft type and stopover at Kuala Lumpur International, also for refuelling.
Eksi says his existing B787-9s can fly nonstop between Istanbul and Melbourne but doing so requires operating with a suboptimal load. Instead, he says Turkish will maintain the Southeast Asian stopovers while awaiting the A350-1000s. Turkish Airlines has 15 on order, and deliveries are due to start in 2025.
The planned premium-seat-heavy configuration on the A350-1000 subset cuts the aircraft's overall weight while keeping revenues high enough to make the nonstop flights economically viable. The bulk of the -1000 fleet will have fewer business-class seats but be deployed onto shorter routes.
Eksi said that once the nonstop services to Sydney and Melbourne are in place, Auckland could be next. The arrival of the A350-1000 will also open options in South America, he added. Turkish Airlines currently flies to São Paulo Guarulhos and Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini and is starting services to Santiago de Chile mid-December. However, like the Australian services, the flights to Chile and Argentina require a refuelling stop, in this case São Paulo.
Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Airport) expects up to 45 of its A320neo Family aircraft will be grounded this year and into 2025 due to Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engine issues. Chief Financial Officer Murat Seker revealed during a May 23 earnings call that the situation is fluid as the advice from the engine manufacturer changes but that the airline is taking steps to mitigate the problem.
According to ch-aviation fleets data, Turkish Airlines currently has twenty of its fifty-eight A321-200NX and five of its nine A320-200Ns out of service due to required engine inspections following the discovery of contaminants in powdered metal used in the manufacturing process. Subsidiary carrier AJet (VF, Istanbul Sabiha Gökcen) operates four of the A320-200Ns and thirteen of the A321-200NX, all wet-leased from the parent.
“Our current projection is that this number will rise to the 40s by the end of this year and remain at that level for the rest of 2024 and part of 2025," Seker told the call, per a FlightGlobal report. "We expect around 40 to 45 aircraft to be grounded.”
Seker said Turkish Airlines was relying on wet-leased capacity to help mitigate the groundings. “Last year and this year, we added about 15 to 20 narrowbody aircraft - some of these contracts are still being negotiated - to compensate for this capacity loss,” he said.
After ordering 345 aircraft (220 firm orders plus 125 options) from Airbus late last year, Seker revealed that talks are underway with Boeing about another order. "We continue our close communication with Boeing regarding this order," he said. “We have not been able to finalise it yet. It is not just a negotiation between Turkish Airlines and Boeing, it also involves the engine manufacturers. It’s a combined effort. We are making progress and continue to understand each other’s needs and timing, especially regarding when we can receive the deliveries and how they align with our strategic development goals."
Separately, Turkish Airlines has confirmed a first-quarter net profit of USD266 million on revenues of USD4.77 billion. The airline carried 18.5 million passengers in the quarter, up 8.4% from a year ago. International passenger numbers increased by 6.2 to 12 million and domestic passenger numbers rose from 5.8 million to 6.4 million.
Turkish Airlines orders Airbuses for expansion
On 15 December 2023, Airbus and Turkish Airlines announced that both companies reached an agreement for a very large firm order for 220 new Airbuses. In total, the airline is ordering 150 A321neos, 50 A350-900s, fifteen A350-1000s, and five A350Fs.
Turkish also secured purchase options for 100 A321neos, 20 A350-900s, and five A350Fs.
Earlier this year, the airline already ordered fourteen A350-900s and the new ones are on top of those. In total, Turkish Airlines has now ordered 504 new Airbuses directly with Airbus, of which 212 have been delivered.
With these new aircraft, Turkish Airlines wants to expand its fleet and flights out of its hub at the new Istanbul Airport. Already today, the airline is the airline with the most destinations served in the world.
There have no delivery timelines been communicated by Airbus and Turkish Airlines on when the new aircraft should all be delivered.
Today, the Turkish Airlines' fleet is made up of six A319s, twelve A320s, 65 A321s, 41 A321neos, 10 A330-200Fs, 11 A330-200s, 36 A330-300s, sixteen A350-900s, 40 Boeing B737-800s, fifteen B737-900ERs, 20 B737-8s, five B737-9s, eight B777Fs, 35 B777-300ERs, and 22 B787-9s.
Turkish Airlines to order additional Airbus A350s
On 4 September 2023, Turkish Airlines announced, in a filing to the Istanbul Stock Exchange, that the airline is set to order additional Airbus A350s. In total, the deal will be for ten A350-900s, with delivery scheduled between 2025 and 2027.
Turkish Airlines is currently operating fourteen A350-900s, and has had twelve more on order. The airline also held five options on the A350 but it's unclear if these ten are (partially) conversions of these options into firm orders.
Earlier this year, Turkish Airlines announced it was planning to place a very large order for up to 600 aircraft, consisting of 200 widebodies and 400 narrowbodies. According to several news outlets, the airline is still working on these plans.
Four ex Turkish Airlines Airbus A340s arrive in Iran
On 23 December 2022, a day the world was busy with Christmas preparations, four ex Turkish Airlines’ Airbus A340-300s, which had been stored at Johannesburg since spring 2019 were ferried to Tehran (Iran).
The four aircraft were withdrawn from use by Turkish Airlines in late 2018/early 2019. After a few months of storage at Istanbul, they were ferried to Johannesburg in March and April 2019 and all four were registered in the Guernsey (2-REG) register on behalf of a company based in Hong Kong, called AVRO Global Limited.
On the afternoon of 23 December all four aircraft left Johannesburg at almost the same time with Burkino Faso registrations XT-AKA, XT-AKB, XT-AKK and XT-ALM. Scramble Magazine does not know which XT-registration belongs to which MSN. If you have more information, please let us know at social@scramble.nl
The four aircraft involved are:
msn 115, 2-AVRA, ex TC-JDM
msn 180, 2-AVRB, ex TC-JDN
msn 270, 2-AVRC, ex TC-JIH
msn 331, 2-AVRD, ex TC-JII
In the original flightplan Uzbekistan was mentioned as the final destination, but once in Iranian airspace, the aircraft diverted to Tehran where they landed.
The flight numbers used for this flight used a MAN airline code. This code does not exist, but given the aircraft final destination, we assume this is a hint to its new owner ... Mahan Air. So despite the sanctions against Iran, it looks like some clandestine transaction took place and these four ex Turkish A340-300s will call Tehran home for the rest of their operational life.
Air Albania (ZB, Tirana) is in the process of doubling its fleet as it nears the induction of two more A320-200s - VP-CLP (msn 3676) and VP-CEK (msn 4934).
The Albanian flag carrier shared in a social media post that the aircraft have already been repainted in its livery and will be inducted "soon". Both are currently undergoing pre-delivery maintenance at Istanbul Sabiha Gökcen, having been last operated by Etihad Airways, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows. The carrier revealed that they will become ZA-MMK and ZA-ASM, although it is not clear which will bear which registration. Both jets will be configured in a single-class layout for up to 180 passengers.
Air Albania, which is 49.1%-owned by Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul New), currently operates one A319-100 and one A320-200, both of them transferred from its parent carrier.
Turkish Airlines plans name change and A220-order
As Turkey officially changed its name into Türkiye with the United Nations, its national airline is set to follow soon according to the country's President. During a TV-interview he said Turkish Airlines will be rebranded into Türkiye Hava Yollari and the name Turkish Airlines will not be used anymore. When the rebranding is due to begin is unknown.
In other news, Turkish Airlines has selected the Airbus A220 for its regional-fleet needs and will now enter final negotiations with Airbus for a potential order for up to 30 A220-300s. According to Turkish aviation website haber.aero, the competition was between the Airbus A220-300 and the Embraer E195-E2.
The fleet today consists of six Airbus A319s, eleven A320s, 66 A321s, 33 A321neos, 23 A330-200s, 37 A330-300s, six A350-900s, 40 Boeing B737-800s, fifteen B737-900ERs, 20 B737-8s, five B737-9s, eight B777Fs, 33 B777-300ERs and fifteen B787-9s.
Turkish Airlines orders more A350s
In a very short statement on its investor relations website, Turkish Airlines has announced it has agreed with Airbus to acquire six additional A350-900s. The aircraft, which were (presumably) not taken-up by other airlines, will be delivered this year and next year.
Currently, Turkish Airlines has taken delivery of six of its twenty A350-900s ordered. With this latest purchase, the total number of A350s ordered by the airline now stands at 26.
Airbus Delivered 50 Aircraft In May While Taking 7 New Orders
Airbus today released its order and delivery figures for the month of May. The number of deliveries was up from April for a total of 50, with the majority represented by A320 and A321neos. Meanwhile, the planemaker giant only received seven new orders. The majority of those, perhaps somewhat unexpectedly, were instead represented by the A350.
From May 1st to 31st, Airbus delivered 50 planes 32 to customers worldwide, a slight increase from 45 in April. This takes the planemaker’s total deliveries for the year to 220, quite the auspicious number given the success of Airbus’ A220. Four of the manufacturer’s much-lauded smaller jet found new homes in the month that passed, taking the total delivered in 2021 this far to 13.
Of the A220-300s, one went to SWISS on May 20th. JetBlue took its third A220 on May 21, having received its second less than a month prior on April 27th. Its first out of an order for 60 of the planes arrived at New York’s JFK on New Year’s Eve but did not operate its first passenger revenue service until late April. Rounding out May’s A220 deliveries was Air Canada, with two planes making the short one-hour journey from Airbus’ Mirabel factory in Montreal to Toronto.
The majority of Airbus’ deliveries in May were A320neos. CMB Financial Leasing took two on behalf of Saudi low-cost carrier Flynas, delivered on May the 5th and 10th, respectively, while the airline took a wholly-owned jet on the last day of the month. China Eastern Airlines took five – two on May 7th, then one on May 11th, 17th, and 24th. Sky Express received one on May 10th, followed by one for Avolon on behalf of Spirit Airlines a couple of days later.
From May 17th to 19th, IndiGo, Juneyao, Shenzen, and Frontier Airlines all took one A320neo each, followed by one for Qingdao Airlines on the 20th. A day later, one went to Colorful Guizhou Airlines via Aviation Capital Group. The same lessor owns the one delivered to Viva Air Colombia on the 25th. One went to Vistara on May 26th, followed by one each to Air China and Chile’s Sky Airline before the end of the month.
Airbus delivered three A321ceo jets. They all went to Delta Air Lines on May 4th, 6th, and 27th. However, 18 A321neos also made their way to their owners. Lufthansa took the first two of the month on May 3rd and 5th. Wizz Air Hungary took its first of the month on May 10th and its second on May 19th, while its UK subsidiary received one on May 20th. BOC Aviation took two for Scoot on the 14th and 20th, respectively.
On May 14th, leasing giant GECAS took one for private Pakistani carrier Airblue. VietJet Air took one on the same day, while another A321neo was delivered to Cebu Pacific one day later. American Airlines took one on May 20th. From May 25th onwards, Airbus delivered one A321neo each to JetBlue, Air Busan via AerCap, Aeroflot via SMBC, Turkish Airlines, China Southern, and Air Macau, also via AerCap. Rounding out the narrowbody month was Asiana Airlines.
Widebody deliveries, naturally sparse on any given month but particularly so given recovery projections and subsequent deferrals, were few and far between. Delta Air Lines took one A330-900 on May 27th. Turkish Airlines took one A350-900 on May 5th and Aeroflot two of the same model on May 27th. One A380 went, unsurprisingly as it is the only remaining customer, to Emirates on May 12th.
However, the largest order for the month of May was for dual-aisle jets. Lufthansa placed an order with Airbus for five A350-900s. Meanwhile, Mexican ultra-low-cost airline Volaris signed up for two A320neos. While total delivery numbers were up for the month, May’s orders were a mere fraction of April’s 48, significantly bolstered by Delta’s 25 A321neo jets.
Airbus Delivers 45 Jets In April
Airbus has today shared details of its deliveries for April. A total of 45 aircraft were delivered during the month. Even though this figure is lower than March’s numbers, it’s a vast improvement on April 2020’s deliveries.
In total, 45 aircraft were delivered to 30 customers across the industry last month. This factor brings the total 2021 deliveries to date to 170 units to 55 customers. Moreover, 48 orders for planes were made in the month.
In April 2020, 14 deliveries were made from the A320, A330, and A350 types. Furthermore, only nine new orders were placed during that period.
So, overall, April 2021’s results reflect the improving climate across the aviation industry following the significant downturn amid the pandemic. Notably, last year’s results were on the back of the first mass suspensions and groundings due to the unprecedented flight restrictions.
Including leasing firms, the following companies received aircraft in the month of April:
Looking at the breakdown, Delta Air Lines was one of the most prolific airlines when it came to deliveries in April. Additionally, it has also been busy placing orders. The airline ordered 25 A321neos on April 22nd. The airline stands out as leasing powerhouse Avolon made up the remaining orders, which are split between 12 A321neos and 14 A320neos.
Altogether, Airbus will be glad that there is an improvement in deliveries and orders this year. The manufacturer reported a first-quarter net profit of €362 million ($439 million) last month. This means that the business has reported three profitable quarters in a row, a contrast to the loss of €481 million ($522 million) in Q1 2020.
Airbus will undoubtedly be hoping that the conditions continue to progress heading into the summer. The improved situation across certain regions such as the United States gives hope for continued growth. However, several regions still remain heavily impacted by the difficulties of the pandemic as the vaccine rollout continues.
A Turkish Airlines flight was traveling from Istanbul to Hanover last week when it suffered a hard landing. The A321neo safely taxied to the apron, and no injuries to passengers or crew were reported. However, the plane has so far been unable to fly out of Hannover, despite two scheduled trips for repairs.
A Turkish Airlines A321neo was performing flight TK-1553 from Istanbul in Turkey to Hanover in Germany last Thursday, March 13th. The Airbus, registration TC-LSB, was a two-year-old A321neo, one of 25 operated by the airline.
The service took off on time, at just after 09:00 local time. Following a flight of around three and a half hours, the aircraft was on approach to Hanover just after 10:30 local time. The Airbus landed successfully on runway 27R, but touched down very hard.
An observer on the ground told the Aviation Herald that,
“A THY TK-1553 A321NEO TC-LSB was approaching from Istanbul on the 27R in EDDV. In addition, strong gusts of wind between 30 and 40 knots prevailed at the time. Shortly before touchdown, the aircraft rapidly lost altitude so that it finally hit the runway hard.”
The person further said passengers had complained of experiencing a ‘horror landing.’ Other witnesses report seeing an excessive amount of smoke on touchdown and that there were strong gusting winds at the airport at the time.
Despite the landing, the aircraft proceeded to roll out without issue, and taxied safely to the gate. No injuries were reported. However, the plane was damaged and was unable to complete its return flight. Now, according to the Aviation Herald, the aircraft appears to be stranded in Hanover.
The Aviation Herald reports that the aircraft was scheduled to undertake a ‘gear down’ ferry flight to Hamburg yesterday, March 16th. Hamburg is the home of Lufthansa Technik and would have been for the purposes of repairs being made. A team of Turkish Airlines maintenance engineers had arrived in Hanover on Monday to ferry the aircraft.
Gear down flights are unusual, in that they increase drag, fuel burn and limit the speed of the flight. It requires special clearance with local ATC, due to the aircraft’s reduced altitude and speed, and is usually only undertaken in circumstances that absolutely require it. This would suggest that the landing gear of the A321neo was damaged during the incident.
However, yesterday’s ferry flight was cancelled. The same trip was again planned for today, but again got cancelled. At the time of publication, the aircraft remains on the ground in Hanover. The Aviation Herald reports that there is substantial damage to the landing gear as well as to the flaps.
credit Simplyflying.com / Aviation Herald
After months of delays, Turkish Airlines has finally taken delivery of its first A350-900 from Airbus. The aircraft, registered TC-LGA, touched down in Istanbul at around 02:30 this morning. It’s the first of up to 30 A350s expected to arrive at the carrier and will be deployed on high traffic routes such as London and Dubai.
Turkish Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-900. Despite conflicting reports earlier in the week about when this was going to happen, Simple Flying can confirm that TC-LGA has definitely arrived with the airline in Istanbul.
The brand new A350 took off from Toulouse at around 22:30 last night. Flying for just under three hours, it crossed the south of Italy, skirted Northern Greece, and finally arrived in Istanbul at 02:24 this morning.
This marked the eighth fight of TC-LGA, having taken several flights under the control of Airbus as part of the manufacturing process. In fact, TC-LGA took its very first flight on March 13th this year, so the delivery has been quite some time coming.
According to AIB Family, the first customer acceptance flight took place on June 11th. After that, it was sent off to Tarbes–Lourdes–Pyrénées Airport (LDE), where it was stored for two and a half months. After returning to Toulouse on August 25th, a couple of further flights took place, including a second customer flight on October 12th.
It’s likely that Turkish put the brakes on delivery earlier in the year due to fallout from COVID. But now, with services ramping up and Turkish serving more than 200 destinations, the time is right to welcome this wonderful aircraft into the Turkish fleet.
Sadly, the arrival was with little fanfare, not just because it was the wee small hours of the morning. Due to COVID restrictions, the airline decided not to hold any ceremony in either Toulouse or Istanbul. Nevertheless, staff were reportedly excited to meet their new widebody Airbus.
Turkish Airlines has made no secret of the routes on which it plans to operate its A350s. The first two A350s will be deployed on two of the most lucrative routes in the Turkish network – London and Dubai. As major aviation hubs, this is a great way to connect customers to Istanbul from all over the world with this flagship aircraft.
Next to launch will be Los Angeles, another key route for the airline. And finally, the fourth route already announced will be from Istanbul to Seoul, South Korea.
However, it should be noted that all these route announcements were made long before COVID, so there could be some changes to these plans. Also, the dates for route launches have long passed by, so it’s not entirely clear when we’ll see services beginning.
In total, Turkish Airlines has 25 Airbus A350s on order, with options for five more. This means we’re likely to see them deployed into all the many markets Turkish serves around the world as more join the fleet.
After our A330-type airplane reached the proper weight for landing, a safe landing was achieved. Our plane’s technical condition is being investigated
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