CDB Aviation delivered the first of three Airbus A330-343 aircraft to its new airline customer in Turkey, Onur Air. The remaining two aircraft are expected to deliver in the second quarter of 2020.

“We are very pleased to have Onur Air join our growing European customer base,” said Peter Goodman, CDB Aviation head of Commercial Europe, Middle East, and Africa. “These A330s will well complement the growth objectives of this pioneer in Turkey’s aviation sector, enabling them to further execute its mission to continuously break new grounds.”

Committed to increasing the standards of Turkish air travel by setting its targets always higher not only for itself, but for the benefit of the overall industry, Onur Air will utilize the additional widebody aircraft to boost its all-Airbus fleet, while supporting wet-lease, scheduled and charter operations, both domestically and internationally to destinations including Europe, Russia, and the Middle East.

“We are pleased to receive the first of three A330-300s from CDB Aviation, which will be used to supplement our wet-lease operations in Saudi Arabia,” said Tufan Ozcan, Onur Air vice president of Asset Management. “We are also glad to work with CDB Aviation, a pioneer in the Chinese leasing industry, which will be the first Chinese lessor Onur Air will work with, and we hope that this will be the beginning of a long relationship.”

Patrick Hannigan, CDB Aviation president and chief commercial officer, commented: “CDB Aviation’s innovative financing solutions and access to a wide range of existing and new technology aircraft are the cornerstones of our offerings, anchored in our team’s ability to tap the strength of a global platform to swiftly provide airlines the ideal fleet options they seek.”

Founded in 1992, Onur Air is a Turkish carrier based at Istanbul Atatürk Airport. It was the first private airline to start domestic flights after the opening of domestic air transport in Turkey at the private sector in 2003.

CDB Aviation is a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing, a 35-year-old Chinese leasing company that is backed mainly by the China Development Bank. It is primarily engaged in leasing aircraft, infrastructure, ship, commercial vehicle and construction machinery.