(The Turkish Post) – Turkish Airlines signed a memorandum of understanding with engine maker CFM International in Istanbul on Oct. 16 for the purchase of more than 300 LEAP-1B engines, including spares, to power the Boeing 737 MAX jets it ordered in September.
The agreement addresses the engine question that had hung over the airline’s largest single-aisle order from Boeing since 2025. The 737 MAX is offered only with the LEAP-1B, which CFM builds as a 50-50 joint venture between GE Aerospace and France’s Safran.
What the LEAP-1B agreement covers
The engines are for 100 firm orders and 50 options for Boeing 737 MAX aircraft that the airline announced on Sept. 23, according to statements from CFM and the airline’s communications directorate.
A long-term services agreement under the memorandum will cover the carrier’s entire LEAP-1B fleet, including engines already ordered and delivered, spares, engines on leased aircraft and those linked to potential options. CFM said this adds up to more than 600 LEAP-1B engines operated by Turkish Airlines and its low-cost subsidiary AJet.
The deal also includes a material services agreement to support a new engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Türkiye, to be run by the group’s maintenance arm, Turkish Technic. Neither side disclosed the value of the agreement.
The memorandum was signed at a ceremony in Istanbul by Murat Şeker, chairman of the board and the executive committee of Turkish Airlines, Turkish Technic Chief Executive Mikail Akbulut and Safran Chief Executive Olivier Andriès.
Turkish Airlines and CFM executives on the deal
“This new step with CFM will support our growing fleet, network, and the operational efficiency,” Şeker said in the joint statement.
Akbulut said: “With this agreement, we will be able to provide comprehensive maintenance operations for the LEAP engine.” He added that Turkish Technic would keep investing in engine maintenance alongside its aircraft and component work.
Andriès said the memorandum “marks a new milestone in our successful relationship with Turkish Airlines, a trusted partner for nearly four decades.”
GE Aerospace Chairman and Chief Executive H. Lawrence Culp Jr. said the airline’s decision to rely on CFM engines to support the growth of its Istanbul network and its maintenance capabilities “is a responsibility we take seriously.”
Boeing 737 MAX order signed in New York
Turkish Airlines signed the order for 100 firm 737-8 jets and options on 50 more in New York in September, in the presence of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The agreement allows the airline to switch some of the aircraft to the larger 737-10, which has not yet been certified.
The narrowbody deal goes back to September 2025, when the airline announced a commitment for up to 75 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, 50 firm and 25 options. At the time, it told the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP), where listed Turkish companies file market announcements, that talks with Boeing on 150 737 MAX jets were complete but that the order would be placed only after negotiations with CFM were successfully concluded.
Those negotiations dragged on over engine pricing, maintenance terms and long-term repair costs. The airline sought an industrial arrangement for engine support in Türkiye, and its chairman at the time, Ahmet Bolat, said the carrier could switch the order to Airbus if the engine talks failed.
The memorandum signed on Oct. 16 covers both the engine supply and the maintenance support the airline had asked for, including the local repair facility.
Current fleet and LEAP-1B service record
Turkish Airlines and AJet together operate 96 Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft with CFM56-7B engines and 79 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft powered by LEAP-1B engines, according to the statement.
The flag carrier’s total fleet stands at nearly 570 passenger and cargo aircraft flying to 358 destinations. It is a member of the Star Alliance and its shares trade on Borsa Istanbul under the ticker THYAO.
CFM said it has delivered more than 10,000 LEAP engines in the 10 years since the type entered service, and that those engines have logged more than 100 million flight hours.
Turkish Technic already carries out maintenance at Istanbul Airport, Sabiha Gökçen Airport and Atatürk Airport. The airline said the planned engine facility would let the company offer comprehensive LEAP maintenance services, including to other operators on the international market.
