Boeing Next-Generation 737 Becomes 110th Turkish Airlines Airplane

Boeing Next-Generation 737 Becomes 110th Turkish Airlines Airplane ISTANBUL, Turkey, Aug. 02, 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] delivered two new 737-800 airplanes to Turkish Airlines this week that take the airline's fleet beyond 110 airplanes for the first time. The Next-Generation 737s are part of a 23-airplane order from 2004. There now are 55 737s in the Turkish Airlines fleet. Turkish Airlines has placed two major orders with Boeing in recent years. Initially signing a contract for 26 Boeing 737-800s Oct. 7, 1997, the Istanbul-based carrier ordered an additional 15 firm 737-800s and eight options Sept. 28, 2004 .The carrier exercised those options Aug. 4, 2005, increasing its total Boeing orders to 49. The backbone of THY's fleet, Boeing 737-800 can carry 162 to 189 passengers and has a range of 5,665 km. The 737 is the world's most popular jet airliner, with more than 8,000 orders, and is still the most efficient, most reliable jet transport in its class. Turkish Airlines was founded in 1933 with a fleet of five airplanes that could carry 28 passengers in total. The airline made its first domestic flight in 1933 and first international flight in 1947; today, THY carries approximately 20 million passengers per year. THY has direct flights to 108 international and 33 domestic destinations. THY Technic, a subsidiary of THY, is certified as a maintenance center for 737s for Russia and neighboring countries.