President confirms plan to get rid of Russian aircraft (180 words)

Published: 11/10/2000

Confirming earlier reports of the intention of the Turkmenistan national airline to go to an all Boeing fleet. Saparmurat Niyazov, the president of Turkmenistan, has announced at a meeting with senior personnel of the airline Turkmen Hava Yollary that it has been decided to move away from a mixed fleet including Russian aircraft and replace them with Boeings.

The state program of the aviation development according to Niyazov, will provide for the 100% replacement of the existing fleet by aircraft from one producer and cements a relationship between the carrier and Boeing dating back to 1995. Turkmen Hava Yollary is due to take delivery of three B-717-200 for domestic routes, in 2001, according to Niyazov, under an agreement signed in Ashgabat in mid July 2000.

For Russian producers the loss of a potential customer for the Tu-334 reflects the pressing need to get the Tu-334 certified and available for potential customers. The suspicion however, is that the Turkmen Hava Yollary , already in the process of acquiring B-737 and B-757, is unlikely to be a Russian customer, even if the aircraft were ready.

Article ID: 2190