Airbus to continue to invest in Turkey

By Gokhan Yildiz

ISTANBUL (AA) - Airbus Chief Human Resources Officer Thierry Baril praised Turkey as a strategic spot for investment.

"We have done investment in Turkey. We are doing it and we will continue to do it. This is one of the most effective, efficient and performing place in our world," Baril told Anadolu Agency.

Reminding that Airbus recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Turkish Undersecretariat for Defense Industry to enhance cooperation, he said Airbus has reliable partners in Turkey.

Baril said on Thursday Airbus is proud of taking its cooperation with Turkish partners to a new level.

"I think after all these long partnerships, taking the new commitments for the future and investing up to $5 billion by 2030 is normal evolution because here we want to continue to grow with Turkey, Turkish Airlines and TAI.

"They are the important partners of the global supply chain," he said.

Based in Ankara, the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is serving the aerospace and defense industries by manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles, aircraft, helicopters and satellites, and their components.

TAI was established in June 1973 under the auspices of the Ministry of Industry and Technology in order to reduce foreign dependency in the country's defense industry.

Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) currently has more than 330 aircraft (passenger and cargo), flying to over 300 destinations in 120 countries.

The airline was named “Best Airline in Europe” by Skytrax for six years in a row between 2011 and 2016.

About Airbus' 2018 strategy, Baril said: "The strategy for 2018 is to continue to deliver a lot of aircraft to our customers and investing also in the future in new range of products of flying objects."