Turkey may rethink Boeing plane orders, Erdogan says

Turkey’s president said his govt may have to “rethink” existing orders for Boeing airplanes worth about US$10b, in comments that reflect the country’s strained ties with the US. Turkey’s hesitation on the Boeing order adds to tension created when the country ordered a missile defence system from Russia, spurning an offer for Ankara to buy US air-defence missiles. “I’ve told Mr. Trump in Osaka that even if Turkey’s not buying Patriots, it’s buying Boeings. We’re good customers,” president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday in Ankara, referring to Raytheon’s Patriot systems. “But if it goes on like this, we’ll have to rethink about this issue.” Erdogan spoke with president Trump at the G-20 summit, during which he reminded him of existing orders for 100 Boeing jets by Turkish Airlines. <br/>