SCAT Airlines boosts Boeing 737 MAX fleet to accelerate international expansion plans
April 30, 2026
Kazakhstan-based carrier SCAT Airlines has announced it has ordered an additional five Boeing 737 MAX 9s to boost its international route network. Additionally, the carrier will add further five Boeing 737 MAX 9s to its fleet, having converted orders from the smaller 737 MAX 8 that it placed in 2023.
SCAT Airlines orders five Boeing 737 MAX 9 and converts existing orders
Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines has placed a firm order for five additional Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft and has converted five previously ordered 737 MAX 8 jets to the larger variant. The deal will expand the carrier’s 737 MAX 9 operations as it develops longer-range international routes using the type.
On 29 April, Boeing and SCAT Airlines said that the Kazakhstan-based carrier would boost its fleet capacity with the additional 737 MAX 9s. The new order for the five Boeing 737 MAX 9s had already been listed as an undisclosed customer in Boeing order figures, while the additional five aircraft are converted orders previously placed for Boeing 737 MAX 8s placed at the Dubai Airshow in 2023.
The new aircraft will be used to support operational efficiency and expand longer-range single-aisle services, including more routes between Kazakhstan and Europe.
Additionally, the airline said that it intends to leverage its expanded 737 MAX 9s to operate seventh-freedom routes from Central Asia across Europe and Asia. A seventh-freedom flight is where an airline flies between two foreign countries without routing through its home state.
By way of example, the airline recently launched a landmark Prague to Sanya service, connecting Prague in the Czech Republic and the city of Sanya in China, with a technical stop in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The journey takes more than 14 hours and is operated with the 737 MAX 9.
In SCAT Airline configuration, the 737 MAX 9 seats 213 passengers in a single-class layout and has a range of up to 3,300 nautical miles (6,110 kilometres). This provides SCAT Airlines the capacity and extended range it requires to open new routes and profitably serve high-demand markets.
According to Vladimir Denissov, president of SCAT Airlines, the additional aircraft will allow the carrier to “better meet growing passenger demand while maintaining the flexibility to serve a diverse and expanding route network.”
He added that the conversion of the five previously ordered 737 MAX 8s to the MAX 9 variant, when combined with the order for the five additional aircraft, would boost the airline’s seating capacity on key routes while improving schedule reliability as the carrier further expands its international network.
SCAT Airlines’ history with the Boeing 737 MAX
Based in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, SCAT Airlines operates an extensive domestic and international network across Central Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States with nearly 40 Boeing jets in service. The airline currently operates nine 737 MAX 8 and five 737 MAX 9 aircraft in its fleet, according to Boeing, along with 12 Next Generation Boeing 737 jets.
The airline was the first in Central Asia to fly the 737 MAX series twinjet in March 2018 and was also the first carrier outside the Americas to resume passenger-carrying Boeing 737 MAX operations after the type’s global grounding, returning the aircraft to service in February 2021.
Additionally, the airline operates three Boeing 757s, one Boeing 767 and four CRJ100 regional jets across its network.
Background to SCAT Airlines
Founded in 1997, SCAT Airlines is headquartered in Shymkent, the third largest city in Kazakhstan after Astana and Almaty. The carrier operates domestic and international flights across Central Asia, Europe, and parts of Asia, serving around 60 destinations.
The airline’s main hub is Shymkent International Airport (CIT), with additional focus cities including Almaty and Astana.
The name ‘SCAT’ stands for Special Cargo Air Transport, reflecting its origins in cargo and regional aviation. Over time, it expanded into passenger services.
SCAT Airlines is the second largest carrier in Kazakhstan, after Air Astana. It is also a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), highlighting the carrier’s adoption of global aviation standards.
Featured image: Boeing
