Air Astana postpones its Boeing 787 deliveries – again

Air Astana initially placed a firm order for three Boeing 787s, with an option for another eight Dreamliners, in 2012 (Boeing)

Blaming unfavourable market conditions and the devaluation of its local currency, Air Astana, the flag carrier of Kazakhstan, has postponed – yet again – the delivery of three Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The airline’s recently-published 2018 annual report reveals that the delivery of the first aircraft of this type has now been re-scheduled for 2023.

The intention to acquire the Boeing 787-8 was announced in 2012. At that point, the contract for the development of the airline’s long-haul fleet, which also included four Boeing 767-300ERs, was valued at US$1.3 billion, by far the largest order in the history of Kazakhstan’s civil aviation.

Initially, deliveries of the Boeing 787 were scheduled for the 2017-2019 period, but were postponed first until 2019 and then until 2021. The airline points to the economic downturn in Kazakhstan and a significant devaluation of the local currency as the reasons for the delay.

The Air Astana fleet now consists of 35 aircraft, including three Boeing 767-300ERs, five Boeing 757-200s, 16 Airbus A320 family aircraft, including three A320neos and one A321neo, and 11 Embraer E190s, including three E190-E2 variants.