More Cessna Skyhawk aircraft, the world’s most trusted training aircraft, will join Turkish Airlines Flight Academy’s growing fleet as part of a new order for 10 aircraft.
FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany (April 23, 2026) — Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today announced that Turkish Airlines Flight Academy has signed a purchase agreement for 10 Cessna Skyhawk aircraft, expanding its training fleet to support growing airline pilot demand across Europe. Turkish Airlines Flight Academy currently operates 66 Cessna Skyhawk aircraft, making it one of the largest Skyhawk training fleets in the region. Deliveries of the new aircraft are expected to begin this year.
“The Cessna Skyhawk continues to set the standard for flight training worldwide, offering the reliability, performance and operating efficiency flight schools depend on,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing. “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.”
Founded in 2013, Turkish Airlines Flight Academy is based in Aydin, Turkey, and operates as a wholly owned flight training organization of Turkish Airlines. The academy trains pilots for Turkish Airlines and other regional carriers, playing a critical role in developing a long‑term commercial pilot pipeline.
To meet increasing training requirements, Turkish Airlines Flight Academy has steadily expanded its Skyhawk fleet, taking delivery of 51 aircraft during the past five years. The additional aircraft will further standardize its training operations while reinforcing Textron Aviation’s leadership in the global flight training market.
The Cessna Skyhawk is considered the aircraft of choice for pilot training, and it is the most popular single-engine aircraft in aviation history. Since the aircraft first took flight in 1955, over 45,000 Skyhawks have been delivered to customers around the world — more than any other aircraft in the industry. The single-engine four-seat, high-wing Skyhawk is renowned for offering the best combination of modern features, including the Garmin G1000 NXi avionics with wireless connectivity, a standard angle-of-attack display system, and proven dependability. The aircraft also features a McCauley aluminum fixed pitch propeller.
We have been inspiring the journey of flight for nearly 100 years. Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company, has empowered our collective talent across the Beechcraft, Cessna, Hawker and Pipistrel brands to design and deliver the best aviation experience for our customers. With a range that includes everything from business jets, turboprops, light and high-performance pistons, to special mission, military trainer and defense aircraft, Textron Aviation has the most versatile and comprehensive aviation product portfolio in the world and a workforce that has produced more than half of all general aviation aircraft worldwide. Customers in more than 170 countries rely on our legendary performance, reliability and versatility, along with our trusted global customer service network, for affordable, productive and flexible flight. For more information, visit www.txtav.com.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.
Certain statements in this press release may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellations or deferrals of orders.