On October 22 and 23, the first 2 Airbus A350 XWB Turkish Airlines aircraft were delivered. We are talking about TC-LGA and TC-LGB registered aircraft. They arrived in Istanbul and will soon enter the commercial service.
For starters, the two aircraft will operate several accommodation flights on domestic routes to Turkey. On November 2, the flight TK1 - TK2424 will operate on the route Istanbul - Antalya. But it will also operate flights to Ankara.
The first Airbus A350 XWB Turkish Airlines (TC-LGA and TC-LGB)
Turkish Airlines has ordered 30 aircraft from the A350 XWB family, which will be gradually delivered in the coming years. As befits a wide-body aircraft, it will operate long-haul flights from Istanbul to destinations such as London and Dubai. He will soon fly to Los Angeles and Seoul. But the operational schedule may change due to the new coronavirus pandemic.
Airbus A350-900 Turkish Airlines aircraft are configured in 2 classes, with 32 seats in Business Class and 297 seats in Economy Class.
Unfortunately, the entry of the new planes into the Turkish Airlines fleet was done quietly, without the reception ceremony. Maybe also because, normally, the first A350-900 Turkish Airlines was delivered on June 11, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Turkish carrier to send the aircraft to Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport (LDE) for storage.
On August 25, the TC-LGA aircraft returned to Toulouse where it had other flights assisted by Airbus specialists. And here it was, after several attempts at delivery, it landed in Istanbul on October 22nd. The next day, October 23, TC-LGB also flew from Toulouse to Istanbul.
It remains to be seen how things will turn out for Turkish Airlines. We remind you that 2020 is a year without too many flights and so it will probably be until 2021.