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Turkish Airlines sign deal for 117 Airbus A320 aircraft

The deal marks the largest order ever placed by a Turkish carrier.

Excluding the optional order, the order for 82 narrow-body A320 series aeroplanes is estimated to be valued at $9.3 billion based on list prices, reports Bloomberg.

Turkish Airlines plans to choose the engine to power its A320neo jetliners at a later date.

Turkish Airlines chief marketing officer Faruk Cizmecioglu said: "The A320 family, with its economic benefits combined with superior cabin comfort, will greatly contribute to meet our ambitious growth plans."

Airbus COO customers John Leahy added: "The 15 per cent fuel saving and the widest cabin in its class give Turkish Airlines a big competitive advantage.

"We are delighted with this new order from Turkish Airlines, which takes us above 2,000 NEO orders in a little over two years after launch."

Turkish Airlines, which is 49 per cent state-owned, already operates 75 A320 jetliners.

The new A320s will allow Turkish Airlines to expand its short to medium-haul routes from its Istanbul hub, while the airplane's commonality with its existing Airbus fleet will result in additional cost-savings.

Featuring large Sharklet wing-tip devices, the A320neo will provide a double-digit reduction in NOx emissions and reduce engine noise.

In addition, it has more than 95 per cent airframe commonality making it an easy fit into existing fleets, while offering up to 500 nautical miles more range or two tonnes more payload at a given range.

The A320neo is scheduled to enter service from late 2015, followed by the A319neo and A321neo in 2016.

To date, Airbus has received more than 9,150 firm orders for its A320 line, with in excess of 5,450 having been delivered to more than 385 customers and operators worldwide.