Turkish Airlines is closing in on a deal to wet-lease four Airbus A380s from an unnamed airline.

Sources say the four aircraft are set to enter to the Turkish fleet by the summer.

Istanbul-based Turkish is planning services to Chinese destinations where slot availability is limited. Currently, the airline’s biggest aircraft is the Boeing 777-300ER, with a 337-seat capacity.

In January, Turkish started negotiations with Polish flag carrier LOT to wet-lease 787s, with a view to using the aircraft to open a San Francisco route.

In adding the 777 to its fleet, the Turkish flag carrier initially wet-leased examples from India’s Jet Airways and, having gained first-hand experience of the operating costs, later placed an order with the airframer.

Source: Cirium Dashboard