German-Turkish joint venture SunExpress has firmed 10 options for the 737 Max 8, taking to 42 its total orders for the troubled narrowbody.
German-Turkish joint venture SunExpress has firmed 10 options for the 737 Max 8, taking to 42 its total orders for the troubled narrowbody.
Jens Bischof, SunExpress’s chief executive, says the carrier was due to have received eight 737-8s from April this year, with another five aircraft to arrive in 2020, dating from a 32-unit order placed in 2014.
However, the 13 March grounding of the re-engined narrowbody interrupted those plans.
Assuming the flight ban on the type is lifted shortly, delivery of all 13 737-8s will take place next year, says Bischof: 10 will be allocated to its Turkish operation and the remainder to its German unit.
Bischof says that adding additional Max jets “is the right decision for SunExpress” and will enable it to be “successful in a very competitive market”.
He argues: “The strategic rationale and benefits of the 737 Max 8 that were convincing in 2014 are still relevant today since the environmental and ecological advantages are valued and confirmed.”
However, he says the carrier – a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines – will have to do “a lot of communication” to the public in order to stress its confidence in the jet, a process that will “take time”.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Stan Deal says the order is a “vote of confidence” in the Max, which will “return to service shortly”.
The airframer says the order has a list-price value of $1.2 billion. CFM International Leap-1B engines exclusively power the 737 Max.
