DUSHANBE, September 17, 2009, Asia-Plus — Tajik air fleet will be replenished with another 5 or six Western type aircraft in the near future, Tajik Minister of Transport and communications Abdurahim Ashour announced at an international conference formally titled “Financing for Development of Aviation” in Dushanbe today.
According to him, the aircraft will be leased. The minister noted that Tajik air carriers currently operated flights to 20 cities of three CIS states and five far abroad countries. “We plan to launch new air routes to Russia, Europe and countries of Southeast Asia,” Ashour said.
In the meantime, Muzaffar Ishoqov, the director general of Somon Air (Tajikistan’s first private air carrier), said that his air company would have 6-8 aircraft in the near future. According to him, the Somon Air fleet now includes two Boeing 737-800s.
“Our company is currently extending its route network of flights,” said Ishoqov, “We now operate flights to Moscow, Sochi, St. Petersburg, and Krasnoyarsk in Russia as well as to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Frankfurt am Main in Germany. We also plan to launch air routes to Istanbul, Urumqi, Bangkok and Saudi Arabia this year.”
Organized by joint stock company (OJSC) Somon Capital, Somon Air, state unitary enterprise Tajik Aluminum Company (Talco) and OJSC Orienbonk (commercial bank), the conference brought together representatives from relevant ministries and institutions of Tajikistan, international organizations and diplomatic missions active in the country as well as internationally known companies, including DILA Piper and Boeing Capital, to consider issues related to simplification of the system of financing of moving equipment as well as international guarantees and means of protection of interests of creditors of air facilities.
