US aircraft maker Boeing focuses on new collaborations in Türkiye

By Yunus Turk

ISTANBUL (AA) - Boeing has suppliers in Türkiye with a business volume that hit $2.5 billion in the last decade as it “looks for other collaborations in Türkiye for the coming period,” the company’s country executive for Türkiye and Central Asia told Anadolu.

“Türkiye provides advantage for us as Boeing with its strong aviation ecosystem,” said Aysem Sargin.

She noted that long-term expectations for the aviation sector have always been positive as it started to recover as of 2022 after the effects of the coronavirus pandemic was over.

Sargin said the growth in the sector gained momentum last year, and that Boeing Türkiye saw growth reaching beyond projections.

“The aviation industry saw a rapid recovery worldwide, followed by a transition to growth. Türkiye has been one of the fastest-recovering countries in terms of passenger traffic and it has become one of the pioneers in identifying the need for aircraft and taking action,” she said.

Sargin pointed out that there are notable airlines in Türkiye, and they are updating their growth projections.

“Türkiye has a strong aviation and defense industry, and it is an important player in the global supply chain,” she said. “Depending on global demand, the more airplanes made, the more our companies in Türkiye involved in the supply chain will produce, and the more they will export.”

- ⁠ ‘Türkiye is in an excellent position geographically and in terms of aviation’

Sargin emphasized that the engineering capability of Türkiye is quite high.

“As aviation production goes up and new technologies are adapted, Turkish engineers will have a lot of work to do; therefore, the growth of this high value-added sector is a very positive development for Türkiye, as on the one hand, the aviation sector provides the know-how in Türkiye to increase, and on the other, it supports companies with regular capital inflow, allowing them to make long-term investments, thus further improving their competitiveness in the international arena.”

She said the growth of Istanbul Airport is expected.

“Türkiye is in an excellent position geographically and in terms of aviation, and if we look at the past decade, airlines in Türkiye grew much faster than expected, and we see very rapid growth in many aviation-related areas in the country,” said Sargin.

- ⁠Business volume of $2.5 billion

Sargin mentioned that they cooperate with suppliers intensively in their production models, as they have “good suppliers.”

“We have had a business volume of $2.5 billion in the last decade and we are looking at other collaborations in Türkiye for the coming period,” she said.

Sargin stated that Central Asia is open to growth in aviation.

“We see new breakthroughs in trade and tourism in this region, as Central Asia has become more in touch with the world. Of course, Türkiye is a very important partner in the region and we share their culture and historical roots,” she said.

“Boeing can play a good role here, and Türkiye is certainly a very important bridge to Central Asia,” she added.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim