Turkish Airlines and CFM International have signed a memorandum of understanding covering more than 600 LEAP-1B engines, according to Air Cargo Week. The agreement ranks among the largest engine deals tied to the LEAP-1B program since the powerplant entered service on the Boeing 737 MAX family.

The memorandum signals intent rather than a binding purchase order. Pricing, delivery positions, and aftermarket terms fall to a follow-on contract. CFM, the GE Aerospace and Safran joint venture that builds the LEAP series, did not attach a dollar value to the announcement.

What is the LEAP-1B?

The LEAP-1B is the exclusive engine option on the 737 MAX. CFM International, the 50-50 GE Aerospace and Safran joint venture, produces the LEAP series across manufacturing facilities in the United States and Europe. The 1B variant powers the MAX 8, MAX 9, and MAX 7, replacing the CFM56-7B that equipped the 737 Next Generation family.

What does the MoU cover?

A memorandum of more than 600 LEAP-1B units reaches well beyond a single airline's near-term delivery slate. The agreement covers both production engines for new airframes and the shop-visit demand that follows a fleet of that scale. The LEAP-1B's typical maintenance interval falls in the six-to-eight-year band, meaning a 600-unit reservation spans both new aircraft engines and the first overhaul cycle such a fleet will generate — roughly the volume of a medium-sized lessor's portfolio.

How does it fit the LEAP backlog?

CFM's LEAP order book runs deep across three variants: the LEAP-1A for the Airbus A320neo family, the LEAP-1B for the MAX, and the LEAP-1C for the COMAC C919. Adding 600-plus 1B units to the pipeline represents a meaningful slice of the program's annual output. Production rates for the LEAP series have climbed steadily since the early-pandemic trough, with CFM working through an aftermarket backlog that built up while shop capacity was constrained. The Turkish agreement gives CFM another tranche of forward demand to plan against.

What does it mean for Turkish?

Turkish Airlines is among the world's largest flag carriers by network reach, with Istanbul as a hub serving Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The 737 MAX forms a core part of its narrowbody operation, alongside Airbus A320 family aircraft. Locking in a multi-hundred-unit LEAP-1B reservation gives Turkish visibility on engine supply through at least the next decade, even as the wider MAX delivery schedule has run behind Boeing's pre-grounding production targets.

What's next?

Both parties will need to convert the MoU into a definitive engine contract. That agreement covers unit cost, spare engine ratios, and maintenance terms, and it would typically surface at one of the industry's major forums — Paris, Farnborough, or the IATA AGM. Until the conversion happens, the 600-plus figure sits as a public statement of intent, with CFM and Turkish working out the operational details behind closed doors and the program moving toward a firmed order book before year-end.