Overview
- A deal announced Wednesday between Boeing and SCAT adds five 737-9s and converts five 737-8s, shifting ten backlog aircraft to the MAX-9 and revealing a previously unidentified order on Boeing’s tracker.
- SCAT says the larger jets will support longer routes and allow seventh-freedom flying, which lets an airline link two foreign countries without returning to its home base.
- The carrier has already used the 737-9 on a weekly Prague–Sanya service with a technical stop in Bishkek that takes more than 14 hours.
- Boeing lists up to 220 seats and about 6,110 kilometers of range for the 737-9 and says the MAX family cuts fuel use by roughly 20% compared with the aircraft it replaces.
- SCAT operates nearly 40 Boeing jets, including nine 737-8s and five 737-9s, and it was the first Central Asian airline to fly the 737 MAX, with widebodies under review for after 2030.