Turkish Airlines orders 12 flight simulators from Havelsan to support fleet expansion to 800 aircraft by 2033.

Turkish Airlines signed a contract with Havelsan on July 21, 2026, to acquire 12 flight simulation training devices, including eight Full Flight Simulators and four Flight Training Devices. The procurement directly supports the carrier's plan to expand its fleet from 556 to over 800 aircraft by 2033 while scaling internal pilot qualification capacity across three campuses. The agreement also marks Havelsan's commercial entry into wide-body aircraft simulation alongside its existing Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 product lines.

The agreement increases Turkish Airlines' installed base of Havelsan Level D Full Flight Simulators from six to 14 while adding fixed-base devices for procedural, systems, and multi-crew training. All 12 units will be manufactured in Türkiye and integrated into new simulator hangars and training infrastructure scheduled for operational delivery between 2027 and 2028.

Related topic: Türkiye approves first Boeing 737NG pilot training simulator built by Havelsan for SunExpress

A Full Flight Simulator (FFS) fully replicates the aircraft, including the cockpit, motion and outside visuals, whereas a Flight Training Device (FTD) reproduces the cockpit and aircraft systems but usually has no motion platform. (Picture source: Havelsan)

On July 21, 2026, Turkish Airlines signed a contract with Havelsan for 12 additional pilot training devices, including eight Full Flight Simulators (FFSs) and four Flight Training Devices (FTDs), as the flag carrier prepares to expand from 556 aircraft to more than 800 by 2033. The order increases the number of Havelsan-built Level D Full Flight Simulators operated by Turkish Airlines from six to 14, while adding a separate group of fixed-base devices for procedural, systems and multi-crew training. The new equipment will be installed in simulator hangars whose construction began in January 2026, with the first phase due to enter service in 2027 and a new Flight Training Center scheduled for completion in 2028.

Turkish Airlines plans to distribute its expanded training activity across three campuses, serving its own crews and selling training capacity to other airlines. The contract also requires Havelsan to deliver simulators for both narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, moving the company beyond its existing Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 product lines and into the commercial wide-body simulation market. The procurement is directly tied to the scale of Turkish Airlines' fleet plan rather than to a simple replacement of existing training equipment. Growth from 556 to more than 800 airliners represents a minimum net increase of 245 aircraft, equivalent to fleet expansion of more than 44 percent, without counting aircraft that will be retired and replaced before 2033.

A fleet of that size requires additional pilots for newly delivered aircraft, replacement crews for retirements, instructors, examiners, command candidates and reserve personnel, while every qualified pilot must periodically complete recurrent training and proficiency checks. Training demand also rises when an airline introduces new variants because crews cannot move freely between aircraft families without type-specific qualification. The eight new Full Flight Simulators will therefore support higher volumes of type-rating, recurrent qualification, command-upgrade and transition training, while the four Flight Training Devices will absorb cockpit familiarization, checklist practice, avionics instruction and instrument procedures.

This division prevents Level D simulators from being occupied by tasks that do not require full motion, allowing the more expensive devices to be reserved for qualification events, aircraft handling exercises and complex emergency scenarios. Turkish Airlines already operates six Havelsan Level D simulators comprising three Airbus A320neo/CEO devices, two Boeing 737 MAX devices and one Boeing 737NG device. A further Boeing 737 MAX Full Flight Simulator ordered during the 2025 Paris Air Show has completed EASA certification, indicating that Havelsan is already supporting more than one production and qualification cycle for the same aircraft family. The new contract adds eight Full Flight Simulators to this installed base, bringing the total to 14, although the precise allocation between individual narrow-body and wide-body airliner types has not been identified.

A Boeing 737 MAX simulator cannot be logically reassigned to an Airbus A320 course, and even aircraft from the same family may require configuration changes or separate qualification if cockpit software, engines or flight control standards differ. The value of the larger common fleet therefore lies less in universal interchangeability than in shared support arrangements, instructor interfaces, visual system architecture, motion system servicing, spare parts, software maintenance and qualification management. A Level D Full Flight Simulator is the highest category of civil aircraft simulator qualified by EASA and the FAA, and it must reproduce the behaviour of a specific aircraft closely enough to replace a substantial portion of training that would otherwise require the real airliner.

The cockpit is built at full scale, with the same control layout, displays, switches, flight management interfaces, autopilot functions, pedals, thrust controls and crew seating geometry as the aircraft being simulated. Havelsan uses rehosted Flight Management Systems, full autopilot capability and aircraft data supplied by aircraft and avionics manufacturers to reproduce route programming, performance calculations, aircraft response, system logic and cockpit indications. The mathematical model must account for lift, drag, thrust, inertia, control effectiveness, mass, configuration changes, braking, ground handling and engine response rather than applying generic flight behaviour. The result is a device that can support type-rating, recurrent checks, proficiency testing and, when accepted by the regulator and training programme, Zero Flight Time Training (ZFTT).

Under ZFTT, an experienced airline pilot transitioning to another aircraft type can complete the approved conversion sequence in the simulator without first conducting training sectors in the real aircraft, reducing fuel use, maintenance consumption, aircraft scheduling disruption and exposure to the risks of practising failures in flight. Havelsan's Full Flight Simulators combine an all-electric six-degree-of-freedom motion system with collimated visual displays and an instructor-controlled failure environment. Six-degree-of-freedom motion covers pitch, roll, yaw and movement along the vertical, lateral and longitudinal axes, allowing the simulator to reproduce acceleration cues, rotation, turbulence, braking, touchdown, crosswinds and asymmetric aircraft behaviour.

The system cannot physically travel like an aircraft, so it uses short acceleration movements, changes in cockpit attitude and gradual motion reset to create the required sensations without reaching the mechanical limits of the actuators. The visual system reproduces airports, terrain, runways, taxiways, lighting, clouds, precipitation, day and night conditions and reduced visibility, while collimation ensures that both pilots see a consistent external perspective from their separate seats. These functions support runway alignment, taxiing, instrument-to-visual transition, flare judgement, crosswind correction and low-visibility approaches. The Instructor Operating Station allows an instructor to change aircraft position, fuel state, weather, airport conditions and system status, and to introduce engine failures, hydraulic faults, electrical malfunctions, avionics failures, icing, wind shear or runway contamination at specific moments.

A failure can be repeated several times, introduced during different phases of flight or combined with deteriorating weather, giving instructors far more control over the pace and complexity of training than would be possible in a real aircraft. The four Flight Training Devices will be used for functions that require aircraft-specific cockpit and systems fidelity but not the complete motion environment of a Level D simulator. Havelsan produces devices aligned with EASA Level 1 and Level 2 and FAA Level 4, Level 5 and Level 6 requirements, using aircraft and avionics manufacturer data to configure the cockpit, systems logic and flight model. Supported courses include type rating, multi-pilot licence, multi-crew cooperation, airline pilot standards multi-crew cooperation, jet orientation course, instrument flight rules, and line-oriented flight training.

Crews can use these devices for pre-flight preparation, checklist execution, instrument procedures, normal and abnormal operations, emergency actions and post-flight procedures, with more limited credit for take-off, in-flight manoeuvring, approach and landing depending on the qualification level. The cockpit reproduces electrical, hydraulic, fuel, pneumatic, environmental-control, flight-control, navigation and avionics systems, allowing pilots to follow how a malfunction in one area affects other systems and cockpit indications. Two pilots can train simultaneously in captain and first officer positions, practising pilot flying and pilot monitoring duties, communication, task division, workload management and checklist discipline.

Because the devices remain fixed-base, they consume less energy, require less mechanical maintenance and can operate at a lower hourly cost than full-motion simulators, making them suitable for repetitive sessions before crews move to Level D training. The simulator programme will also require a continuing engineering and certification effort after delivery. Aircraft manufacturers periodically introduce avionics revisions, navigation-database changes, flight-management software updates, performance modifications and new operating procedures, and the corresponding simulator must remain aligned with the aircraft configuration used by the airline.

Visual databases must be updated when airports add runways, taxiways, lighting systems or approach procedures, while instructor software must remain compatible with revised training syllabi and regulatory requirements. Certified simulators also undergo recurring evaluation to confirm that motion response, visual performance, system timing, flight dynamics and cockpit behaviour continue to match the approved baseline. This creates a long-term workload covering software configuration, replacement parts, visual-system maintenance, motion-actuator servicing, calibration, qualification renewals and instructor support.

The larger the installed fleet, the more important configuration control becomes because two simulators assigned to the same aircraft type must reproduce the same aircraft response and cockpit standard if pilots are to move between them without encountering inconsistent behaviour. Turkish Airlines' decision to operate 14 Havelsan Level D devices therefore creates a support requirement extending throughout the service life of the simulators rather than ending with factory acceptance and installation. For Turkish Airlines, the principal operational effect will be greater control over training availability as its fleet and route network expand.

The airline operates 556 passenger and cargo aircraft serving 358 destinations in 133 countries, including 305 international and 53 domestic destinations, meaning its crews must be prepared for a wide range of airport layouts, runway lengths, weather conditions, navigation environments and operating procedures. Additional simulator capacity will allow more recurrent training, aircraft conversion and command upgrade activity to be completed internally, while third-party airline training can generate revenue during periods when devices are not fully occupied by Turkish Airlines crews. For Havelsan, the contract adds eight major Full Flight Simulator programmes and four Flight Training Devices to a civil portfolio that already includes the Airbus A320, Boeing 737, PRIME Single Cockpit Multi-Platform Simulator and Starline fixed-base products.

The company has more than 40 years of experience in simulation, has worked on more than 60 military and civil aircraft types, and expects cumulative simulator deliveries to exceed 400 after completion of its current backlog. Manufacturing all 12 devices in Türkiye will generate work in cockpit production, software development, flight modelling, visual systems, instructor stations, systems integration, certification and lifecycle support. The most significant commercial change is the move into wide-body simulation, because success would allow Havelsan to compete for training programmes associated with long-haul fleets rather than remaining concentrated on the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 narrow-body market.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.

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