Turkmenistan Airlines (T5, Ashgabat) is set to acquire its first B777-F, a government run-down of cabinet decisions has revealed.
According to the June 19 summary, Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow signed a resolution earlier this month authorising the airline to finalise a contract with Aircraft Finance Germany GmbH regarding the freighter's purchase. No delivery date was disclosed.
Berdimuhamedow said the widebody freighter, the country's first, will help transform Ashgabat into an international cargo hub.
"In this regard, Turkmenistan Airlines will be able to expand the geography of its scheduled freight traffic and also increase the frequency of flights on existing routes," the head of state emphasised.
The announcement follows a similar resolution signed in late March wherein Turkmenistan Airlines agreed to purchase one ANSAT and one Mi-17-1W Mil Helicopter from Kazan Helicopters (Kazan Borisoglebskoye) for medevac operations. Both are scheduled for delivery in March next year.
The ch-aviation fleets module shows Turkmenistan Airlines currently operates three Il-76TDs for cargo operations as well as two B777-200(LR) widebodies alongside three B737-700s, eight B737-800s, and four B757-200s for its passenger airline operations. The Turkmen national carrier also operates several other aircraft directly for the government. It has one more B777-200(LR) on order from Boeing (BOE, Washington National) which, before the COVID-19 pandemic, was due to deliver in January 2021.
