• 

  Turkish Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  TK/THY

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Istanbul Airport

  Year Founded:

  1933

  Alliance:

  Star Alliance

  CEO:

  Bilal Ekşi

  Country:

  Turkey

It's been a big week for Turkish Airlines as the carrier took delivery of four new jets from Airbus. Three of the four jets were Airbus A350s while another was an A321neo. Interestingly, two of the A350s and the A321neo had been initially ordered by Russian carriers.

Which aircraft were delivered?

The four aircraft delivered to Turkish Airlines are as follows:

• TC-LGG: An A350 with MSN 565 flew from Toulouse to Istanbul on July 6th. This particular aircraft appears to have been ordered by Turkish Airlines right from the start.
• TC-LGI: Also an A350, this jet has MSN 457 and flew from Toulouse to Istanbul on July 8th. The jet was initially ordered by Aeroflot but could not be delivered due to sanctions. Up until its recent delivery to Turkish, it had mainly been in storage since late January.
• TC-LGJ: The third A350 delivered, this jet has MSN 463 and was delivered to Istanbul on July 7th. Up until its recent delivery flight, this Aeroflot-ordered aircraft had also been in storage for the past six months.
• TC-LUJ: This is an A321neo that bears MSN 10883. Delivered on July 7th from Montpellier–Méditerranée (MPL) to Istanbul, the aircraft appears to have been ordered by S7 Airlines but has also become 'undeliverable' due to sanctions. According to AIB Family Flights, ownership of the jet was transferred to Airbus Financial Services, which may be the lessor for the narrowbody aircraft.

A major 'customer' for Russian-ordered aircraft

Turkish Airlines seems to be one of the biggest airline 'customers' scooping up aircraft originally ordered by and built for Russian carriers. Sanctions due to Russia's actions in Ukraine have resulted in an inability to deliver the aircraft, affecting both Airbus and Boeing.

Not only has Turkish Airlines swooped in to take A350s ordered by Aeroflot, but it has now also accepted an A321neo originally ordered by Russia's S7 Airlines. This latest round of deliveries to the airline comes roughly one month after the carrier accepted five 737 MAX 8s initially destined for S7. In the case of the 737s, however, the aircraft seemed to have gone to the airline's regional subsidiary, AnadoluJet.

Discover more aviation news.

Is the hybrid livery staying?

Tracking the progress and journey of new Airbus deliveries, AIB Family Flights was one of the first websites to spot the ex-Aeroflot aircraft in their hybrid Turkish Airlines livery.

The aircraft have Turkish Airlines plastered across the front section of its fuselage, along with a small Turkish flag just to the side, as per the airline's livery. However, the A350-900s lack the white engine cowlings and red tail representative of the carrier's standard paint scheme. Instead, these widebodies sport a solid dark "Aeroflot blue" color on both the tail and engines.

Interestingly, there haven't been any livery updates since the hybrid paint scheme jets were first spotted. This tells us that they were likely delivered to Istanbul in their unique red and blue colors. It's unclear whether they will enter service like this, or if Turkish Airlines has opted to take care of the re-painting itself.

What do you think of Turkish Airlines scooping up so many aircraft ordered by Russian airlines? Let us know by leaving a comment.

Source: AIB Family Flights