Turkish Airlines and CFM plan 300-plus LEAP-1B engines and long-term support for growing Boeing 737 MAX fleet

Istanbul agreement spans more than 600 engines across Turkish Airlines and AJet and supports a proposed engine maintenance facility in Türkiye.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Memorandum envisages more than 300 new LEAP-1B engines, including spares, for 100 firm and 50 option Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
• Proposed long-term support covers more than 600 engines across Turkish Airlines and AJet, including existing and potential future units.
• Material services agreement supports a planned LEAP engine maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Türkiye.
• Turkish Airlines and AJet currently operate 79 LEAP-powered 737 MAX aircraft and 96 CFM56-powered 737 Next Generation aircraft.

Turkish Airlines has taken a further step toward expanding its Boeing 737 MAX fleet and the infrastructure needed to maintain it, signing a memorandum of understanding with CFM International that pairs new engine purchases with long-term support arrangements for more than 600 engines across the airline and its subsidiary AJet.

The agreement, signed in Istanbul on October 16, 2026, envisages the acquisition of more than 300 CFM LEAP-1B engines, including spares, to power 100 firm Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and 50 additional aircraft subject to options. The aircraft order was announced on September 23. The figure of more than 600 relates to the wider engine fleet covered by the proposed long-term services agreement, not solely to new engine purchases.

That services framework would extend to engines already delivered or ordered, spare units, engines associated with leased aircraft and potential aircraft options. For travelers, the plans concern the behind-the-scenes reliability and servicing capacity that will be needed as the carrier expands its narrowbody operations; the memorandum itself does not announce new routes or flight schedules.

Developing engine maintenance capability in Türkiye

The memorandum also includes a material services agreement intended to help Turkish Technic establish a LEAP engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Türkiye. The facility is a planned development rather than an operational center announced as open. It would expand Turkish Technic’s ability to undertake engine work alongside its existing aircraft and component maintenance activities.

Prof. Murat Şeker, Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines, said the arrangement would support the airline’s growing fleet, network and operating efficiency while developing its LEAP maintenance capabilities. Mikail Akbulut, Turkish Technic’s CEO and Board Member, emphasized continued investment in engine, aircraft and component maintenance.

The signing ceremony included Şeker, Akbulut and Olivier Andriès, CEO of Safran, which owns CFM International jointly with GE Aerospace. Andriès described the plan as an extension of a relationship with Turkish Airlines dating back nearly four decades, and highlighted the role of an open engine-maintenance ecosystem in giving operators servicing options.

Existing fleets and wider industry support

According to figures released with the agreement, the Turkish Airlines group, including AJet, operates 96 Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft powered by CFM56-7B engines and 79 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft powered by LEAP-1B engines. The new arrangements are designed to support the fleet as more MAX aircraft are introduced.

CFM says more than 10,000 LEAP engines have been delivered since the type entered service a decade ago, accumulating over 100 million flight hours. It is also pursuing engine improvements including a high-pressure turbine durability kit intended to extend time on wing and a reverse bleed system. These are broader programme developments rather than specific performance outcomes guaranteed under the new memorandum.

H. Lawrence Culp Jr., Chairman and CEO of GE Aerospace, expressed support for the carrier’s Istanbul-centered network and planned engine-maintenance capabilities. The companies have not disclosed a transaction value, a timetable for the proposed MRO facility or a date for conversion of the memorandum into definitive agreements.

Further information about the airline is available from Turkish Airlines, with the announcement also detailed in GE Aerospace’s published release.