Turkish Airlines Flight Academy Orders 10 More Cessna Skyhawks

Türkiye – Textron Aviation, the manufacturer of Cessna aircraft, has announced that Turkish Airlines Flight Academy (TAFA) has signed a purchase agreement for 10 Cessna Skyhawk aircraft, further expanding one of the largest single-type training fleets in Europe.

• Turkish Airlines Flight Academy currently operates 66 Cessna Skyhawk aircraft and has taken delivery of 51 Skyhawks over the past five years, reflecting a sustained fleet build-up to meet growing airline pilot demand by Turkish Airlines.
• The 10 additional aircraft will bring the Skyhawk fleet to 76, with deliveries expected to begin this year.
• TAFA concluded 2025 with an operational fleet of 84 aircraft in total (including multi-engine and other types), a 71% increase over 49 aircraft in 2024. The academy graduated 351 pilots in 2025, a 25% increase year-on-year, and logged 89,550 flight hours — a 30% increase compared with 2024.
• Active student numbers grew from 456 in January 2025 to 600 by December 2025, a 32% increase, while average graduation time decreased from 14.9 months to 14.1 months.
• TAFA doubled its simulator infrastructure to eight simulators in 2025, up from four in 2024.
• The Cessna Skyhawk is the most widely delivered single-engine aircraft in aviation history, with over 45,000 units delivered since 1955. The aircraft features Garmin G1000 NXi avionics with wireless connectivity and a standard angle-of-attack display system.

Statements

• "The Cessna Skyhawk continues to set the standard for flight training worldwide, offering the reliability, performance and operating efficiency flight schools depend on. This order reflects Turkish Airlines Flight Academy's confidence in the Skyhawk as it continues to scale its training capacity to meet long-term pilot demand," said Lannie O'Bannion, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Textron Aviation.

About Turkish Airlines Flight Academy (TAFA)
Turkish Airlines Flight Academy is a wholly owned flight training subsidiary of Turkish Airlines, founded in 2013 and based in Aydın, Türkiye, providing ab-initio pilot training for Turkish Airlines.

Source: Textron Aviation