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Turkish Technic, the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) arm of Turkish Airlines, is currently in discussions with U.S.-French engine manufacturer CFM International to establish a Leap engine repair facility in Istanbul, according to company Chairman Ahmet Bolat.
Bolat made the comments during the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Annual General Meeting in Delhi, India.
“Regarding engines, we cannot be fully independent anyway, because the parts will be supplied by the manufacturer,” he said. “If you can repair some of the models, that’s the advantage.”
Turkish Airlines operates 28 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft powered by CFM’s Leap-1B engines and has 35 more on order.
The number may increase significantly if a proposed deal for 150 additional 737 MAX jets with Boeing is finalized, according to aviation news site aviationweek.com.
The airline also has 205 Airbus A320neo-family aircraft on order. It has chosen Pratt & Whitney’s PW1000G geared turbofan (GTF) engine for 48 of them, but has not yet selected engines for the rest, leaving room for the Leap-1A—CFM’s competing engine for the A320neo.
Turkish Technic currently operates its engine maintenance operations at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport, servicing CFM56 and CF6-80E1 engines.
It also operates a joint venture with Pratt & Whitney—the Turkish Engine Center—focused on International Aero Engines V2500-A5 and CFM56-7B engine repairs.
Turkish Technic recently joined Rolls-Royce’s TotalCare aftermarket network. Under the agreement signed in May, Turkish Airlines will build a new facility in Istanbul to service several Trent engine types.
Construction is expected to begin within two to three months, with engine induction scheduled to start in 2027.
The project is expected to increase Turkish Technic’s annual revenue by approximately 30% and position the company as a market leader in engine maintenance.
Over the course of the agreement, the facility is projected to contribute an average of $700 million annually to the Turkish economy through exports.
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