Somon Air clarifies delivery timeline for Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft

Image: Somon Air

Tajikistan’s flagship carrier, Somon Air, plans to receive its new narrowbody Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in July–August 2026. This updated timeline was announced by the carrier following negotiations with a Boeing delegation on May 15.

The Tajik airline will lease these two aircraft through the UAE-based lessor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE). In 2025, Somon Air also signed a preliminary agreement with Boeing to acquire an additional ten 737 MAX 8 aircraft and four 787-9 widebodies.

The new aircraft are intended to modernize the airline’s fleet, which currently consists of previous-generation 737NG airliners: four Boeing 737-800s and two larger 737-900s.

Somon Air will become the second operator of the 737 MAX generation in Central Asia, following Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines. Later this year, another Kazakh carrier—Vietjet Qazaqstan—is also expected to take delivery of its first two aircraft of this type.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: First Boeing 777-8F enters final assembly.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: DAE confirms lease of two Boeing 737MAXs to Tajikistan’s Somon Air.