Kazakhstan carrier Air Astana has committed to ordering five Boeing 787-9s and signalled intentions to order as many as 10 additional aircraft as part of a plan to expand its international reach.
The airline’s board approved the plan and the company is now completing “procedural requirements” before it finalises the agreement with Boeing, Air Astana said on 6 November.
In addition to the planned five-strong 787-9 order, Air Astana intends to secure options for five more jets and purchase rights for a further five.
The carrier already holds orders with Boeing for three 787s that are set to be delivered in 2026 and 2027.
The 787s under the newly disclosed pending order would be delivered between 2032 and 2035, it says.
Air Astana now operates only three widebody jets – all 767-300ERs – and 33 Airbus A320-family narrowbodies, while its sister carrier FlyArystan has 15 in-service A320s, according to fleet data provider Cirium.
Boeing says Air Astana committed to the deal while attending the “C5+1 Summit” in Washington, DC. That summit involves US officials meeting with representatives from five Central Asian nations: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The agenda includes US president Donald Trump meeting and dining with delegates.
Air Astana got off the ground in 2002 with 737-800s and 737-900s and then acquired 757s. It retired the 737s in 2007 and the 757s in 2020, and switched to Airbus narrowbodies.
