DALLAS - Irish owned CDB Aviation, a subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co., Ltd has signed new lease agreements for seven narrowbody and widebody aircraft with Turkish Airlines (TK). 

With the additional aircraft, CDB Aviation will now have seventeen aircraft on lease to TK, including twelve Boeing 737-8 MAX, one Boeing 737-800, one Boeing 777-300(ER), one Airbus A321neo, one Airbus A320neo and one Airbus A330-343.

“We are delighted to continue building upon a strong and long-term partnership with our valued customer, Turkish Airlines,” said Jie Chen, CDB Aviation’s Chief Executive Officer.

Turkish Airlines Fleet Expansion

The Turkish flag carrier will take delivery of one widebody and six narrowbody aircraft as part of this lease. Under the new agreement, a used Airbus A330-343 will be delivered in May 2024 to support the expansion of TK’s mainline international operations. 

“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,” said Levent Konukcu, Turkish Airlines’ Chief Investment and Strategy Officer.

An additional six Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft will be delivered between 2025 and 2026. The six new 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 TK to 12. 

Jie Chen, CDB Aviation’s Chief Executive Officer stated that the MAX 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.