Turkish Airlines’ low-cost regional airline, AnadoluJet, will boost its fleet size with the arrival of six 737 MAX 8 aircraft.
On June 28, 2023, CDB Aviation, itself a subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co, announced that Turkish Airlines has signed a lease agreement for the additional aircraft.
All six planes are part of CDB Aviation’s existing orderbook with Boeing, with deliveries set to arrive in 2024 and 2025.
The MAX jets will be fitted with CFM International Leap-1B engines and built in the AnadoluJet-specific configuration.
“We’re delighted to have signed these new lease agreements with our valued customer, Turkish Airlines, for the financing of the upcoming six 737 MAX aircraft deliveries from our orderbook,” stated Jie Chen, CDB Aviation’s CEO. “Turkish has become a leader among airlines in undertaking sustainability-focused initiatives to modernize every stage of their flight and ground operations. These highly efficient aircraft will bring Turkish closer to achieving their ambitious sustainability goals by lessening the environmental footprint of their mainline and subsidiary carrier’s flight operations.”
While Levent Konukcu, Turkish Airlines Chief Investment and Technology officer, commented: “We are proud to collaborate with partners like CDB Aviation in our pursuit of excellence. Adding these aircraft to the AnadoluJet fleet will contribute significantly to our goals and allow us to present remarkable travel experiences to our passengers.
With the addition of the six MAX aircraft, CDB Aviation will have nine aircraft on lease to the carrier, including 1x 737-800, 1x 777-300ER and 1x A320neo.
In 2022, the lessor delivered Turkish Airlines’ first A320neo, which marked a significant step forward in the airline’s ongoing fleet modernization process.