Turkish Airlines and aircraft-engine manufacturer CFM International have signed a memorandum of understanding covering engine procurement for a planned Boeing 737 MAX fleet and long-term maintenance support. Under the proposed arrangement, Turkish Airlines intends to buy more than 300 LEAP-1B engines, including spares. The engines are expected to power 100 firm and 50 option Boeing 737 MAX aircraft announced on September 23. The document is a memorandum of understanding rather than a final purchase contract, allowing the parties to advance the detailed commercial arrangements.
A second major element is a long-term services agreement. That section extends beyond the engines intended for the new aircraft and includes LEAP-1B units previously ordered or delivered, spare engines, engines fitted to leased aircraft and possible future options operated by Turkish Airlines and subsidiary AJet. Altogether, the service coverage represents more than 600 LEAP-1B engines. The figure does not mean that all 600 are new purchases: the planned acquisition exceeds 300 engines, while the larger number describes the combined fleet covered by support arrangements.
The memorandum was signed at a ceremony in Istanbul by Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee Murat Şeker, Turkish Technic Chief Executive Mikail Akbulut and Safran Chief Executive Olivier Andriès. Safran is one of CFM International’s two parent companies alongside GE Aerospace, with each holding an equal stake in the joint venture. The LEAP-1B is the engine used by the Boeing 737 MAX family and is therefore central to the airline group’s narrow-body fleet expansion.
The package also includes a material-services agreement involving Turkish Technic. It is intended to support the establishment of a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility for LEAP engines in Türkiye. According to the companies, the planned capability would allow Turkish Technic to broaden its engine-maintenance work and provide more extensive support for the group’s expanding fleet. The announcement did not give an investment value, capacity figure or opening date for the proposed facility, so those details remain pending.
Safran said the Turkish Airlines group currently operates 96 Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft powered by CFM56-7B engines and 79 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft powered by LEAP-1B engines, including AJet aircraft. Bringing additional aircraft and engines into service would support the airline’s plan to expand narrow-body capacity. The associated services agreement also addresses operational continuity, maintenance access, parts support and engine availability rather than limiting the relationship to the initial equipment purchase.
Independent aviation publication AviTrader separately confirmed the distinction between the purchase of more than 300 engines and service coverage for a fleet of more than 600. A Dow Jones report carried by MarketScreener also said the arrangement is connected to 100 firm and 50 optional 737 MAX aircraft and that the service portion spans the full LEAP-1B fleet of Turkish Airlines and AJet. Anadolu Agency reported the Istanbul signing and the planned support for Turkish Technic’s future maintenance infrastructure, citing the airline’s statement.
The parties did not disclose the financial value of the proposed agreement. The announcement also provided no detailed engine-delivery timetable or firm entry-into-service dates for each aircraft. The verified elements at this stage are the intended purchase of more than 300 new LEAP-1B engines, long-term service coverage involving more than 600 engines and a plan to build additional maintenance capability in Türkiye. Keeping those components separate is essential to avoid presenting the service-coverage total as the number of newly purchased engines while the final contract and implementation schedule remain undisclosed.
