Turkish Airspace Industries (TUSAS) and European aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, signed a deal worth 500 million U.S. dollars on Thursday for TUSAS to produce airplane parts.
Under the agreement, State-owned TUSAS will design and manufacture ailerons for the Airbus A350 model, TUSAS chief executive Atalay Efeer was quoted by the semi-official Anatolia news agency as saying at the signing ceremony here on Thursday.
The deal represents the first large-scale production program for TUSAS in the civil aviation industry, said the report, adding that the company is also a shareholder in Airbus Military and an A400M industrial partner.
"The Airbus A350 is a new type of a commercial airliner. The first flight of the plane is scheduled for 2012," Efeer said, adding that TUSAS has already obtained 500 orders for A350 as of November.
He said that some 400 people would be employed directly as a result of the deal, while 1,200 people would gain indirect employment.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who also attended the signing ceremony, described the agreement as a "historical move."
"TUSAS officially joined Airbus family with the agreement signed today," said Erdogan, adding that the step showed the competitiveness of Turkey's aviation industry and EU's confidence in Turkish technology.
The prime minister highlighted that his country's defense and civil aviation sector had made a remarkable progress over the last few years.
"Our aviation technologies have made a giant leap with projects such as aircraft modernization and unmanned aircraft were completely carried out by Turkish engineers to bring Turkish defense aviation industry to the level of internationally recognized player," he said.
As of the achievements of Turkey's civil aviation industry, Erdogan said, "the country's main air carrier, Turkish Airlines, had become one of the major air companies in Europe with its fleet, number of passengers it carried and its profitability."
"This also shows that Turkey had a great potential in aviation market in its region," he added.
Established in 1984, TUSAS has grown to be the largest aircraft manufacturer in Turkey, and is emerging as a globally recognized supplier of aerospace vehicles and components for both commercial and military customers.
Source:Xinhua
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