CDB Aviation Leases Additional 7 Narrowbody and Widebody Aircraft to Turkish Airlines

CDB Aviation, a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. (“CDB Leasing”), announced today the signing of new lease agreements for a fleet of an additional seven narrowbody and widebody aircraft with its existing customer, Turkish Airlines (“Turkish”), the flag carrier of Türkiye.

Under the new agreements, one used Airbus A330-343 will be delivered in May 2024 to support the expansion of Turkish’s mainline international operations, while another six Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft will be received between 2025 and 2026 by the carrier’s newly established subsidiary, Ajet. The CFM International Leap-1B engine-powered MAX aircraft will be delivered from the lessor’s existing orderbook with Boeing, bringing the total number of CDB Aviation’s MAXs on lease to Turkish to 12.

“We are delighted to continue building upon a strong and long-term partnership with our valued customer, Turkish Airlines,” commented Jie Chen, CDB Aviation’s Chief Executive Officer. “The 737 MAX 8 aircraft will contribute toward the airline’s stated goal for Ajet to become an important part of the low-cost aviation industry on a global scale, while the A330 will provide the increased capacity to support its ever-expanding global network.”

Levent Konukcu, Turkish Airlines’ Chief Investment and Strategy Officer, said: “As the airline that flies to more countries than any other with 130 countries, Turkish Airlines continues to strengthen its worldwide success story. In order to contribute to this stunning expansion performance, we evaluate all possible options to feed our fleet. Along with the previous ones, we are glad to collaborate with CDB Aviation for these effective agreements again.”

With the addition of the aircraft, CDB Aviation will now have seventeen aircraft on lease to the carrier, including 12x 737 MAX 8, 1x 737-800, 1x 777-300ER, 1x A321neo, 1x A320neo, and 1x A330-343.