Somon Air is a privately held Tajik airline established in 2008. Since starting commercial operations it has maintained an all-Boeing passenger fleet. In 2025 the carrier carried 1.092 million passengers, 8.6% more than a year earlier. As of September 2026, it operated eight aircraft — two 737 MAX 8s, four 737-800s and two 737-900ERs — and served about 30 destinations.
Both 737 MAX 8s, the airline’s first jets of this type, are on long-term lease from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE). In August 2026 Somon Air began non-stop flights from Dushanbe to Jeddah and Minsk. In November 2025 it committed to up to 14 Boeing aircraft, including up to four 787-9 widebodies, and in July 2026 it selected Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 XE engines for them.
Key facts
- 16 September 2026 — Somon Air put its second Boeing 737 MAX 8 into revenue service, bringing its all-Boeing fleet to eight aircraft. Second 737 MAX 8 in service
- 6 August 2026 — The airline announced weekly flights from Dushanbe to Jeddah from 9 August and to Minsk from 29 August, using Boeing 737 family aircraft. Jeddah and Minsk routes
- 3 August 2026 — Boeing and Somon Air officially confirmed delivery of the carrier’s first 737 MAX 8, which it plans to use for proposed services to London Heathrow, Beijing and Guangzhou. First MAX confirmed
- 22 July 2026 — Somon Air selected Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 XE engines for its future 787-9s under an MoU announced at the Farnborough Airshow 2026; in the initial phase it will buy four engines for two aircraft. Rolls-Royce engine choice
- 13 January 2026 — In 2025 the airline operated 3,744 flights, 13% more than a year earlier, of which 348 were domestic. 2025 traffic results
- 29 November 2025 — Somon Air was one of six Central Asian airlines with active IOSA registration. IOSA registry
- 7 November 2025 — At the C5+1 summit in Washington, Somon Air committed to order up to four 787-9s and up to ten 737-8s; it will be the airline’s first-ever widebody order. Boeing commitment
Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet
- VQ-BBA (MSN 66771) — the first 737 MAX 8, seating 176 passengers: 12 in business class and 164 in economy; its delivery was officially announced on 3 August 2026. VQ-BBA details
- VQ-BBD (msn 66774) — the second, named after Abu Abdullah Rudaki, founder of Persian-Tajik classical literature; it arrived in Dushanbe from Seattle on 12 September 2026 and entered scheduled service the next day. VQ-BBD enters service
- Both aircraft are powered by CFM LEAP-1B engines and are on long-term lease from DAE. Lease from DAE
- Somon Air became the second operator of the 737 MAX generation in Central Asia after Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines. Second MAX operator in the region
