In the middle of May we reported that Turkish Airlines subsidiary AnadoluJet was to receive a new Boeing 737 MAX 8 initially ordered by Russian carrier S7. But the aircraft, registered TC-LAG, would be the first of several narrowbodies undelivered to S7 that would be picked up by AnadoluJet. Indeed, the total count now sits at five aircraft, with the most recent ex-S7 jet being delivered to the airline on the 1st of June.

Five 737s delivered over two weeks

Boeing and Turkish Airlines appear to be wasting no time in moving the 737 MAX 8s to their new home in Turkey. All five aircraft were initially ordered by Russian carrier S7 but were undeliverable.

The initial reason for a lack of delivery to their original Russian customer might have been Russia's reluctance to re-certify the Boeing 737 MAX after the events of 2018 and 2019 in Indonesia and Ethiopia, respectively.

Boeing_737-8AS_AnadoluJet_TC-SBI
The A321neo will supplement AnadoluJet's B737-800s (shown here) and MAX 8s. However, A320neos will arrive soon. Photo: Sergey Korovkin via Wikimedia.

However, if this was the only reason, Boeing might have held on to the aircraft in hopes that civil aviation authorities in Russia would eventually allow the type to once again fly in their airspace. Thus, the reason the S7-ordered jets have been re-directed to another customer is due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which is now been ongoing for more than 100 days.

The five aircraft, according to BOE Family Flights, are as follows:

  • TC-LAI (MSN 64947)
  • TC-LAJ (MSN 64452)
  • TC-LAK (MSN 61848)
  • TC-LAH (MSN 61845)
  • TC-LAG (MSN 61810)

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Picking up deals everywhere

Looking at Turkish Airlines' recent aircraft deliveries, we can see that the airline group has been benefiting substantially from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions imposed as a result.

Not only has it swooped in to pick up a handful of undelivered S7 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, but it also acquired a number of Airbus A350-900s initially ordered by Aeroflot - also made undeliverable due to sanctions. These brand-new aircraft were made available in an extremely short timeframe which may be beneficial as the airline (and its subsidiary) continue to recover from the pandemic. Additionally, while figures remain undisclosed, we can imagine that both the Boeing and Airbus jets were offered at a reasonable discount.

An Ex-Aeroflot Airbus A350-900, now Turkish Airlines, flying in the clouds.
Photo: Chris Loh | Simple Flying

It's not just a post-pandemic recovery boosting activity for Turkish carriers. Indeed, while reciprocal airline and airspace bans have been in place between the European Union and Russia since the start of the invasion, air service still operates freely between Turkey and Russia. Indeed, Turkish Airlines continue to serve a long list of Russian destinations while Aeroflot continues to operate service to Istanbul, as well as to Antalya and several other tourist hot spots.

Thus, with Turkey taking this "neutral" position in the ongoing conflict, it has become a hot spot for Russians looking for vacations or business opportunities outside of their country's borders. Additionally, Turkish Airlines is able to facilitate the transfer of passengers through its Istanbul hub from Russia to the rest of the world and vice versa.

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Sources: BOE Family Flights