Airplane for price of luxury car

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

The Turkish Aeronautical Association wants to build two to four seater planes. Hürriyet photo

The Turkish Aeronautical Association (THK) is planning to produce two to four seater domestic airplanes, which will sell for the price of a luxury automobile and be ready to fly in 2014, THK President Osman Yıldırım has said.

Yıldırım said in a press meeting yesterday that there was significant interest in two to four seater planes and that people wanted to be able to purchase their own planes, as in many developed countries.

He added that the THK’s mission was to develop Turkey’s aviation sector and that as part of this goal it would produce a 90 percent domestically made airplane.

90 percent Turkish
“Our 90 percent Turkish plane will sell for the price of a luxury car. In other words, less than $200,000,” said Yıldırım.

According to Yıldırım, just like the average family owns one or two cars, in the near future families will own one or two planes and will be able to fly from Bursa to Çanakkale for a weekend getaway.

Initially the THK will produce two to four seater planes, which could include sea planes. It will later begin producing 10 to 20 person planes capable of flying longer distances, said Yıldırım.

“We will produce 100 planes in five years,” said Yıldırım, adding that this number could be increased depending on the suitability of conditions.