New aircraft to be delivered in 2001(210 words)

Published: 8/7/2000

In 2001 Turkmenistan Airlines (Turkmen Hava Yollary) will take delivery of three Boeing 717s under a contract signed by Aldo Basile, Boeing International Sales Director and the President of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Turkmenbashi, in Ashgabat on the 24th July. Under the contract, two of the three Boeing 717s, for use on domestic routes, will be delivered in the summer 2001 and the last aircraft - in autumn. An additional Boeing 757 will also be delivered in August 2000, which appears from earlier reports to be ahead of schedule. The new aircraft, a Boeing 757-200, will be used on flights to New York and Toronto via Birmingham (UK) due to commence in the autumn. Turkmenistan are reported to have the goal of an all Boeing fleet and are reported to be negotiating for the delivery of a further three 717s to meet growing demand in the Central Asian republic. In the first half of the 2000 the ailrine's traffic grew by 35%, carrying according to the airline, over 500,000 passengers. The airline currently operates six Boeing aircraft, three Boeing 737s and three 757s and provides some of its own maintenance and pilot training from its centre in the country's capital Ashgabat. Boeing will train the pilots for the new aircraft along with maintenace crews.

Article ID: 1964