SunExpress is advancing plans for a company-owned maintenance, repair and overhaul centre at Antalya Airport, its main base in southern Türkiye. The facility will feature a nine-bay hangar for line and base maintenance of the airline’s Boeing 737-family fleet and is planned to enter service in autumn 2029. Construction is currently targeted to start in mid-2027, although the schedule could be accelerated.
The project remains subject to planning and regulatory approvals. SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa Group and Turkish Airlines, intends to finance the facility itself and expects it to support the airline’s aircraft as well as third-party operators. A small engine workshop is also planned, but the centre will not undertake complex engine-maintenance projects.
SunExpress currently performs line maintenance internally, while heavier base-maintenance work is outsourced, including to Turkish Technic. The Antalya project was originally conceived as a five-bay hangar, but was expanded after the airline’s 2023 Boeing order increased projected fleet requirements. SunExpress expects to receive 64 additional 737-8 and 737-10 aircraft over the coming years.
The airline is working with universities to develop and recruit technicians for the future operation. Turkish Technic is separately assessing an Antalya MRO facility, although its intended aircraft scope has not yet been determined. The new SunExpress centre could eventually provide capacity to other operators, potentially including Turkish Airlines, which has ordered up to 150 737 MAX aircraft.