The intimate relationship that developed between Qatar and Turkey in light of the Syrian crisis and Gulf tensions has assumed a new dimension, with a Boeing 747-8 that landed at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport on Sept. 12 set to join the fleet of VIP planes belonging to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The unequipped plane — said to have cost some $400 million — was purportedly a gift to Erdogan by Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. There is speculation that Turkey bought the plane, which was at first auctioned at the Basel-based AMAC Aerospace Group website. British newspapers had predicted sale of the plane for $500 million.
