Boeing to provide Uzbekistan Airways with B787 landing gear services

Uzbeki flag carrier operates three Boeing 787-8s with three more Dreamliners are due to be delivered in late 2019 and 2020 (Uzbekistan Airways)

Boeing has reached an agreement with Uzbekistan Airways (Uzbekiston Havo Yullari) to provide services that will enable the Uzbeki flag carrier to more efficiently maintain its growing fleet of B787-8 Dreamliners through the American aircraft manufacturer’s Landing Gear Exchange programme.

The airline will in future rely on Boeing to support its fleet with speedy landing gear exchanges when and where they are needed. The programme reduces maintenance time, helps the airline quickly return its aircraft to service and also enables the airline to focus its resources on core operations, it believes.

Boeing’s 787 Landing Gear Exchange programme provides a simple solution for managing landing gear overhauls, claims Boeing in a statement. Under the arrangement, a carrier can exchange landing gears that need to be repaired or overhauled for another set of certified landing gear from a pool that Boeing maintains. This service eliminates the need for operators to contract, schedule and manage the overhaul process.

Uzbekistan Airways has been a Boeing customer for more than 20 years. Together, the companies operate a joint Composite Repair Shop in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The airline operates a western-built jet aircraft fleet of some 30 airliners, including three Boeing 787-8s. Three more Dreamliners are due to be delivered in late 2019 and 2020.

Under the complete reorganisation of the country’s national aviation conglomerate ordered by Uzbekistan president Shavkat Mirziyoev last November, all state unitary enterprises that are currently part of the national body Uzbekistan Airways, including maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service provider Uzbekistan Airways Technics, will instead be individually reformed into separate limited liability companies.