2016 Prediction by Vinay Bhaskara S. Business Analyst Turkish Airlines will order a substantial number (40+) of Bombardier CSeries aircraft, resuscitating the near moribund Canadian aircraft program.
The key driver here is the opening of Istanbul’s new airport, which I discussed in my analysis of Atlanta Airport. At the 10th annual Airports Council International (ACI Airport) Exchange Conference & Exhibition, Turkish Airlines mentioned that it would be interested in taking on smaller aircraft to add service to “hundreds” regional destinations around Istanbul as per JA on airliners.net. While Turkish Airlines is currently blocked off from building a regional feeder operation like the ones that US and European legacies have due to infrastructure constraints at their core hub in Istanbul at Ataturk International Airport.
But at the new airport, the ATC constraints will go away, allowing Turkish Airlines to build a feeder network to tier 2 and tier 3 cities in the immediate region. And what better aircraft for them to start building this with than Bombardier’s CSeries, more specifically the CS100. The CSeries is the perfect size (just under 100 seats) and is economical to operate, with enough range and short runway performance to serve secondary airports across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. With 2,500 – 2,800 nautical miles worth of range, the CS100 can serve a dual role of regional feeder for both high frequency short haul routes as well as long and thin ones. Turkish Airlines has already built up to serve more than 280 destinations with its mainline fleet – smaller aircraft will help it unlock the next phase of growth.
https://airwaysnews.com/blog/2015/12/28/awn-2016-av-predictions/