Boeing Just Confirmed This 737 MAX Order

Boeing and Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines have announced a firm order for five 737 MAX jets worth $1 billion at list price value.

The new contract for the airline based in Shimkent will support a rapid fleet expansion and a drive to become an industry-leading regional player.

Deliveries of these new 737 MAX jets are expected in the coming years, with the signing taking place during an official visit by Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister, during which various delegates from the airline and the planemaker will be present.

Breaking Down The Order

As part of the latest deal, SCAT Airlines will take on 737-9s, part of the MAX family, with an order for five of this model to advance fleet modernization and make fuel-efficient planes the backbone of the operation.

The airline plans to leverage the 737-9 to support longer-range operations, with single-aisle services targeted in the future, especially to markets such as Europe from its home base in Kazakhstan.

Pioneering seventh-freedom flights, Europe will complement other services to Asia. The airline, having only recently launched a landmark Prague-Sanya service which connects the Czech Republic and China with a technical stop in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, is a journey of more than 14 hours.

The fleet update allows SCAT to meet growing passenger demand and, more importantly, as the first Central Asian 737 MAX operator, to further diversify and expand its route network with aircraft that are not just efficient but also more flexible in their deployment.

Away from the order for five 737-9s, SCAT also went one step further and opted to convert five orders it held for the 737-8 also to the larger 737-9, marking a comprehensive shift by the business towards a step up in capacity in the family.

Boeing In Central Asia

The SCAT deal for Boeing ultimately helps deepen its footprint in Central Asia, a key market for the future, as it seeks to develop its backlog and grow business by finding airlines across domestic and longer regional networks to support.

SCAT’s purchase and commitment are not the first time it has ultimately built the backlog out and given the 737 MAX, an industry leader in its class, yet another tick of approval in an emerging market where visibility, regardless of the order total, is important for the long term.

While a minimal order on the grand scheme of things, for planemakers securing deals in key target markets can at times be more important than the contract’s numerical or list price. Central Asia is an exciting, up-and-coming location to build on for the future.