In one of the leaked cables exposed via Wikileaks, it was made very clear that the government of Turkey would be willing to buy jets from Boeing instead of EU rival Airbus if the US would send a turkish astronaut in to space via the space shuttle.

Commercial airline deals are supposed to be about quality and price. But political considerations often seem to intervene. Here, in attempting to persuade authorities in Turkey to buy Boeing commercial planes for Turkish Airlines — which is part owned by the government — the State Department fielded requests from Turkey to help it build its own space program, including perhaps putting a Turkish astronaut on a NASA flight. Authorities in Turkey also asked for help from the Federal Aviation Administration, to improve flight safety there. American authorities said they could not offer the space flight, but agreed to try to help out in other ways, evidence of the role the United States plays in helping Boeing sell its jets.

From the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/28/world/20101128-cables-viewer.html#report/boeing-10ANKARA74

airbus, barter, boeing, Turkey, united states