Turkish Airlines has finalized a firm order for 100 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft plus 50 options, Boeing announced on September 23, 2026. Deliveries run from 2033 through 2037, with the carrier holding substitution rights to the larger 737 MAX 10.

The signing took place in New York during the United Nations General Assembly week, attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Boeing described the agreement as the flag carrier's largest single-aisle purchase from the manufacturer.

What does the contract cover?

The order book includes 100 firm MAX 8s and a further 50 aircraft held as options. Turkish Airlines retains the right to swap the MAX 8 portion for the higher-capacity MAX 10 as network requirements evolve. Combined with the existing 787 Dreamliner commitment, the package gives Turkish Airlines a defined narrowbody and widebody pipeline through the second half of the decade.

What held the deal up?

Negotiations that began in 2025 stalled over engine maintenance terms with CFM International, the GE Aerospace–Safran joint venture that supplies the LEAP-1B powerplant. Turkish Airlines had warned it would walk away from Boeing and pivot to Airbus if the CFM terms could not be resolved, Reuters reported. The September 23 announcement effectively closes that dispute.

How does this sit against the 787 deal?

The MAX order sits alongside a separate 787 agreement first announced in September 2025, covering 35 787-9s and 15 787-10s with another 25 options. The 787-10 will be a new variant for the Turkish fleet. Boeing has framed that aircraft as additional passenger and cargo capacity on Istanbul routes to the United States, Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

What does the MAX work for?

The MAX 8s will feed Turkish Airlines' short- and medium-haul network from Istanbul. The 2033–2037 delivery window aligns the introduction of new narrowbody capacity with replacement cycles for older units and with continued growth on regional trunk routes across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

What shifts from here?

The contract turns a conditional 2025 memorandum into a firm backlog entry for Boeing, ending a period in which one of the carrier's two largest purchase programs carried open conditions on engine terms. The 737-10 substitution clause keeps Boeing's newest and largest MAX variant inside the negotiable scope of the deal through certification and beyond.

With both the narrowbody and widebody components now on contract, Turkish Airlines enters its next fleet-planning cycle with known quantities for seat capacity, maintenance reserves and pilot training through the late 2030s.