Turkish Airlines named 'Most Sustainable Flag Carrier Airline'

Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee Ahmet Bolat told World Finance: "Turkish Airlines has set a goal to be one of the top three airlines in the world in terms of digitisation within three years as part of its strategic plan.

"Our company, in line with our commitment to be a 'Carbon Neutral Airline in 2050,' have expanded the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), which we started to use as of 2022, by adding additional lines in 2023 as part of our plans to combat climate change."

Since 2008, the company has taken on more than 100 operational optimisation projects to reduce its carbon footprint. In 2022 alone, Turkish Airlines saved 57,581 tonnes of fuel, equivalent to a reduction of 181,379 tonnes of greenhouse gases.

The flag carrier airline has announced its goal of becoming carbon-neutral airline by 2050.

Last month, CDB Aviation signed lease agreements for a series of six Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft to Turkish Airlines.

All six aircraft are part of the lessor’s existing order book with Boeing. They will be powered by CFM International Leap-1B engines and built with the AnadolouJet-specific configuration, which is a subsidiary of Turkish Airlines. Deliveries are set to take place in 2024 and 2025.

“We’re delighted to have signed these new lease agreements with our valued customer, Turkish Airlines, for the financing of the upcoming six 737 MAX deliveries from our order book,” said Jie Chen, CDB Aviation’s chief executive officer. “Turkish has become a leader among airlines in undertaking sustainability-focused initiatives to modernise every stage of their flight and ground operations. These highly efficient aircraft will bring Turkish closer to achieving their ambitious sustainability goals by lessening the environmental footprint of their mainline and subsidiary carrier’s flight operations.”

Levent Konukcu, Turkish Airlines chief investment and technology officer, commented: “We are proud to collaborate with partners like CDB Aviation in our pursuit of excellence. Adding these aircraft to the AnadoluJet fleet will contribute significantly to our goals and allow us to present remarkable travel experiences to our passengers.”