Turkish Aerospace, Airbus ink new cooperation deal in cargo plane production

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and plane maker Airbus have signed three new cooperation agreements, according to a statement by the Turkish company.

The cooperation will include the production of the rigid cargo barrier (RCB) of A350F, the production of Section 18/19 of the A320 single-aisle series freighters, and the middle lower body panels of A220 by TAI.

TAI will design, produce and deliver the RCBs for the A350F, one of the newest large body cargo planes, through the whole program from 2024, being the single supplier of this part.

On the production and installation of the Section 18/19 of the A320 single-aisle freighters, TAI will be responsible for some 50%.

Among the ongoing projects of TAI, which has been providing thousands of parts and components for Airbus planes for over 20 years, there is the production of flaps of the A350XWB, A330 rudder, and the Section 18 and Section 19 of A320.

Acting head of TAI, Ömer Cihad Vardan, who was present during the signing of the new cooperation agreements, said that the deals mark another long period business cooperation with Airbus, which is among the strategic firms that TAI has cooperation in the aviation sector.

“I believe the close collaboration between our company and Airbus will support the performance and cost-effectiveness of the A320 Series, A350F, A220 programs,” he said.

TAI operates in the design, development, modernization, production, integration and life cycle support processes of integrated aerospace industry systems from fixed and rotary wing aerial platforms to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and space systems.

It serves within a 4 million square meters open and 640,000 square meters closed area, employing over 12,000.

The company is among the global players in the aerospace, aerospace and defense industries.