Turkish Aerospace Industries to make parts for Airbus 350 passenger aircraft

Airbus, the European aircraft manufacturer, and Turkey’s state-owned Turkish Aerospace Industries (Tusas) have signed a 500-million-dollar agreement under which the Turkish manufacturer will produce parts for Airbus A350 passenger aircraft.

As a result of the agreement, 400 people would be employed directly and 1,200 others would get indirect employment.

The Turkish Aerospace Industries (Tusas), which is the centre of technology in design, development, manufacturing, integration of aerospace systems, modernisation and aftersales support in Turkey, was set up under the Turkish Commercial Code and Foreign Investment Encouragement Law on May 15, 1984. Tusas has grown to be the largest aircraft manufacturer in Turkey and is emerging as a globally recognised supplier of aerospace vehicles and components for both commercial and military customers.

Tusas is also a shareholder in Airbus Military and an A400M industrial partner. (The Airbus A400M is a 4-engine turboprop military transport and tanker, designed and built by the European corporation Airbus Military. It has been ordered by 10 countries and will replace a variety of aircraft, including the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules and the Transall C-160.)

Atalay Efeer, chief executive of Tusas, said during a ceremony to sign the agreement in Ankara, the capital of Turkey: “The agreement between Airbus and the Turkish Airspace Industries will be the first big-scale aircraft production programme for Tusas in the civil aviation industry. The mid-sized, long-range Airbus A350 has had 4,060 orders as of November 2008.”

“The Airbus A350,” Efeer added, “is a new type of a commercial airliner. The first flight of the plane is scheduled in 2012.”

At the ceremony to sign the Airbus-Tusas pact, Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of Turkey, declared: “The deal would open up new opportunities for the local manufacturer. Our aviation technologies have made a giant leap with projects such as aircraft modernisation and unmanned aircraft completely carried out by Turkish engineers to bring Turkish defence and aviation industry to the level of an internationally recognised player.”

Tayyip Erdogan announced that the Turkish Aerospace Industries had already produced nearly 300 F-16 warplanes, adding: “Our aim is developing genuine products in the air industry. A Turkish company’s maturity to take responsibility in an Airbus A350, starting from its design, shows the point we have reached in this sector.”

The agreement, according to Erdogan, showed the competitiveness of Turkey’s aviation industry and the European Union” confidence in Turkish technology. He added: “Turkey’s defence and civil aviation sectors have made a remarkable progress over the last few years. Our aviation technologies have made a giant leap with projects such as aircraft modernisation and unmanned aircraft were completely carried out by Turkish engineers to bring Turkish defence aviation industry to the level of internationally recognised player.”

Turkish Airlines, the major airline of Turkey, has become one of the major airline companies in Europe with its fleet, number of passengers it carried and its profitability, Erdogan claimed.