Airshow - Turkish Airlines Mulling Airbus A380 Order

Turkish Airlines says it would be encouraged to order the Airbus A380 if the European plane marker commits to developing a more fuel-efficient, re-engined model.

Ahmet Bolat, Turkish Airlines Chief Investment and Technology Officer, told Gulf News at the Dubai Airshow on Tuesday the carrier is considering ordering the A380 or Boeing 747, which it could operate as soon as 2018, when Istanbul's new airport opens.

An order would be a huge coup for Airbus, who has struggled to find a new customer for the super jumbo, and would also boost its business case for the new engine option, which Emirates has also been calling for.

Boloat also insisted that the carrier is still evaluating whether the super jumbos are suitable for its business model.

"The A380 is a big aircraft, efficient aircraft but requires a specific business model. Do we have that model now or not? We study this constantly," he said at the Dubai Airshow.

He also declined to say how many Turkish Airlines could potentially order but said it would be much smaller than the 140 Emirates has bought.

Emirates, the single largest customer of the A380, has been calling on Airbus to commit to developing a re-engined model that will see a "double-digit" improvement in fuel burn.

But Airbus, who haven't booked a new A380 customer in nearly two years, have been sluggish in their response, arguing no decision needs to be made just yet while also hoping it will soon find more customers for the super jumbo programme.

Earlier this year, Turkish Airlines turned down an offer to take some A380s off the hands of struggling Malaysian Airlines, opting for frequencies over raw capacity.