Turkish Airlines is negotiating to acquire around 250 Boeing aircraft, mainly 737 Max jets along with 75 of the 787 Dreamliner widebody models. The deal would nearly double the airline’s fleet over the next decade and support Istanbul’s ambition to become a global aviation hub to rival Dubai.
“We have been discussing an order with Boeing for quite some time, but no final decision has been made yet,” Turkish Airlines spokesperson Yahya Ustun told Bloomberg. The talks follow the carrier’s 2023 agreement with Airbus for 230 aircraft, part of its expansion strategy backed by Erdogan to reinforce Türkiye’s $900 billion economy on the international stage.
Trump signalled optimism about resolving the dispute that led to Türkiye’s removal from the F-35 programme after its acquisition of Russia’s S-400 missile defence system. “We are working on many trade and military deals with the President, including the large-scale purchase of Boeing aircraft, a major F-16 deal, and a continuation of the F-35 talks, which we expect to conclude positively,” Trump stated on his Truth Social platform.
“President Erdogan and I have always had a very good relationship,” Trump added. Turkish officials acknowledged, however, that concessions on the S-400 system may be sought, with Ankara considering a supervised technical mechanism but rejecting any complete abandonment of the system.
U.S. officials have repeatedly maintained that Türkiye’s access to the F-35 depends on giving up the Russian system, which triggered CAATSA sanctions against its defence industry. Erdogan underlined the broader context of the Washington discussions in his own social media message.
“In our meeting at the White House with my valuable counterpart and friend, U.S. President Donald Trump, we will discuss many topics, including trade, investment and defence industry with our ally the United States, with whom we have comprehensive strategic relations,” Erdogan stated.
“I believe that our meeting with President Trump will contribute to stopping wars and conflicts in our region within the framework of our common global peace vision and will further strengthen cooperation between our countries,” the Turkish president added.
Source: Türkiye Today.
