Journalism of Courage
US President Donald Trump’s administration announced on Thursday new deals to sell up to 37 Boeing jets to airlines in the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The Commerce Department said Kazakhstan flag carrier Air Astana plans to buy up to 15 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to grow and modernize its fleet.
The orders were signed at the C5+1 Summit in Washington on the 10th anniversary of the diplomatic meeting of the leaders of five Central Asian republics and the United States.
Air Astana currently operates three Boeing 767 widebody jets connecting Kazakhstan with destinations in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The new planes will enable expansion into North America, Boeing said.
Tajikistan’s national carrier, Somon Air, plans to buy up to 14 Boeing planes, including four 787-9s and 10 737 MAX airplanes, Commerce said, while Uzbekistan Airways converted options into a firm order for eight 787 Dreamliners, upping the flag carrier’s total orders to 22 for the widebody jets.
Somon currently operates six Boeing 737 NG airplanes to 25 destinations. It is the airline’s first-ever widebody order, and Somon will use the planes to launch intercontinental routes from Dushanbe, the Tajikistan capital. Orders for new US-made Boeing planes have featured heavily in trade deals and negotiations with foreign governments and Trump.
Boeing has won orders for hundreds of new airplanes this year announced as part of trade agreements.
One big order not yet finalized is with China. Boeing is in talks to sell as many as 500 jets to China, according to a report in September, which would represent a major breakthrough for the company in the world’s second-largest aviation market, where orders have stalled amid US-China trade tensions.
