First Boeing 737MAX for Somon Air arrives in Dushanbe

Somon Air's first Boeing 737 MAX in Seattle (Photo: Somon Air)

On June 26, a Boeing 737MAX-8 aircraft for the local carrier Somon Air arrived at the airport of the Tajikistan capital, Dushanbe, according to tracking service data. The new airliner with registration number VQ-BBA flew in from Boeing’s assembly facility in Seattle.

This is the first aircraft of this type for Somon Air. The Tajik airline agreed to lease two such aircraft through the UAE-based Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE). The carrier itself has not yet announced the receipt of the new aircraft. The second airliner is expected to be delivered in August of this year.

Somon Air has become the second operator of 737MAX generation aircraft in Central Asia after Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines. Prior to this, the Tajik carrier’s fleet consisted only of previous-generation aircraft of this model: four Boeing 737-800s and two Boeing 737-900s. In November 2025, the airline signed a preliminary agreement with Boeing for the purchase of another 10 737MAX-8 aircraft, as well as four widebody Boeing 787-9s.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: FlyOne Armenia selects LEAP-1A engines for its Airbus A321neo jets.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: Tajikistan’s Somon Air selects Rolls-Royce for future 787s.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines to enter cargo market with Boeing 767-300BCF conversion agreement.