The board chairman of Uzbekistan Airways (HY, Tashkent International) said at a press conference that the carrier is preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding with Boeing for fourteen incremental B787-8s.
"We are currently finalising the details for the delivery of fourteen Boeing B787-8 Dreamliners between 2029 and 2032. The estimated cost of the project is USD2 billion," said Shukhrat Khudaykulov.
The airline already operates seven B787-8s, including one that is VIP configured for the government. They are between 5.6 and 8.5 years of age and were ordered in batches in 2007 (two), 2016 (four), and 2018 (one). All are owned by the airline or the government.
Uzbekistan's president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, recently approved tapping international money markets to raise USD400 million for the country's transportation sector, with USD100 million going to the state-owned carrier. Khudaykulov said Uzbekistan Airways was close to signing an agreement with Deutsche Bank to secure this funding.
The Boeing order, if it proceeds, would be additional to a November 2022 order for 12 narrowbodies from Airbus, specifically, eight A320-200Ns and four A321-200Ns. It has since converted the order to all-A321neo and increased it to 14 units.
The state-owned carrier flies to 71 airports in 29 countries, according to the ch-aviation PRO airlines module. Its 44 aircraft include nine A320-200s, ten A320-200Ns, five A321-200NX(LR)s, one (wet leased) A330-200, two ACJ320-200s, five B767-300ERs, two B767-300ER(BCF)s, seven B787-8s, two Il-76TDs, and one Pilatus PC-24. In recent years, Uzbekistan Airways has made efforts to modernise its fleet, expand its reach, and capitalise on its strategic positioning midway between Asia and Europe.
