The Sky Was the Limit For Kazakhstani Airlines During Nazarbayev’s Visit to U.S.

Kazakhstan will be the second Caspian region country to see its airlines upgrade their fleets with the latest versions of American-made Boeing airplanes. Deals signed last week during Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s visit to the U.S., which included agreements with Boeing, are said to amount to over $7 billion.

“The contracts will be about purchasing additional Boeing planes,” Nazarbayev said following a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.

According to a press release issued by the State Department, $1.3 billion in agreements will allow the Central Asian and Caspian region country to purchase passenger planes and locomotives from the U.S.

SCAT Airlines, the largest Kazakhstani air carrier in operation and with flights to regional countries, India, China and the United Arab Emirates, has ordered six Boeing 737 MAX jets. The MAX edition of Boeing’s 737 is the fourth generation in the series, with a narrow body and able to carry 210 passengers. The first aircraft will be ready and delivered to SCAT Airlines by March.

Also included in $2.5 billion worth of deals signed last week during Nazarbayev’s visit were orders for three 787 Dreamliner jumbo jets to be delivered to Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s national carrier, by 2021.

Kazakhstan is not the first Caspian region country to see its airlines upgrade their fleets. Azerbaijan signed a deal with Boeing in November at the Dubai Airshow 2017 to add five Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner jets and two Boeing 747-8F aircraft to Azerbaijan Airlines’ fleet.

Nazarbayev, now 77 years old, has been Kazakhstan’s only president since the modern country’s founding shortly after the dissolution of the USSR in December 1991. He is aiming to put the country of 18 million – Central Asia’s largest – in the top 30 global economies by 2050. Kazakhstan currently ranks 48 in terms on nominal gross domestic product, according to 2016 data compiled by the United Nations.

During his three-day visit to the U.S. last week, bilateral commercial contracts were signed with companies including General Electric and Chevron.

Kazakhstan ranks as the U.S.’ 78th largest trading partner, with $1.9 billion in two-way trade in 2016, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Goods exports stood at $1.1 billion that year, while imports amounted to $742 million.