Turkish Airlines partners with Airbus and Rolls-Royce
To increase Turkiye's prominence in the aerospace industry, Turkish Airlines, the nation's flag carrier, has announced a new partnership with Airbus and Rolls-Royce.
The Strategic Türkiye Enhanced Programme (STEP), a new project that was unveiled at a conference at Turkish Airlines' headquarters in Istanbul, is expected to boost innovation in the aerospace industry and generate highly skilled jobs in the nation.
The three businesses will collaborate on every facet of the engines and airplanes, supported by Turkish Airlines' substantial orders for Rolls-Royce-powered Airbus aircraft.
Prof. Ahmet Bolat, the Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee at Turkish Airlines, said, “Launching STEP with Airbus is a testament to our deepening collaboration with the aircraft manufacturer. It marks our commitment to helping develop Turkish aviation companies into prospective suppliers, aligning closely with Airbus’ strategic objectives and their newly identified business domains.
“We are also delighted to further strengthen our relationship with Rolls-Royce. By joining forces with the manufacturing giants, we underscore our commitment to both excellence and the further development of Türkiye’s aerospace capabilities.
“With the significant cooperation between three valuable companies, Turkish Airlines will continue to leverage advanced technologies and collaborative strategies to enhance our operational efficiencies and contribute to continuing our sustainable growth while reinforcing our leading role on the global aviation stage.”
Turkish Airlines is also looking into more possibilities for MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) facilities in the nation with Rolls-Royce.
Tufan Erginbilgiç, the CEO of Rolls-Royce, said, “Türkiye is a strategically important market for Rolls-Royce across our business. We are very pleased with the confidence that Turkish Airlines has placed in our Trent XWB engines. We now look forward to working with Turkish Airlines and our partners to use our extensive aerospace engineering experience to benefit the Turkish economy, grow the country’s skills base and expand its role in the energy transition.”
Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO, added, “We are honoured to support the growth of one of the world‘s elite airlines and develop our partnership with Türkiye through the new STEP programme. The programme will provide the framework for Airbus to further broaden its collaboration with Türkiye and to support Turkish Airlines’ growth ambitions, with a particular focus on supply chain development, skills and sustainability.”
Turkish Airlines became the largest user of Rolls-Royce's Trent XWB engine globally last year when it revealed a landmark order for 150 A320neo and 80 A350 aircraft.
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