Kazakhstan receives its first A400M
December 10, 2024
The first Airbus A400M ordered by Kazakhstan (production number MSN139) was handed over to the customer at a ceremony in Almaty, after being ferried from the A400M Final Assembly Line in Seville, a few days earlier.
Already an operator of the Airbus C295, Kazakhstan placed an order for a pair of A400M aircraft on 1 September 2019, becoming the ninth operator of the type alongside Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Malaysia and Luxembourg. Airbus will also provide a full package of maintenance and training support, after a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to collaborate on Maintenance and Overhaul services and with a first step of creating a local C295 maintenance centre.
At the time, Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space greeted the order saying that: “The A400M will become the cornerstone of Kazakhstan’s tactical and strategic airlifting operations. This new export contract brings the total number of A400M orders to 176 aircraft, a figure that we expect to increase in the near future. With more than 100 aircraft delivered and 100,000 flight hours in operation, the A400M has proven its capabilities, reaching a state of maturity that many potential customers were waiting for.”
Combining the capabilities of both tactical and strategic aircraft, the A400M can transport heavy and outsized cargo on to short, unprepared airstrips, flying at low altitudes or dropping up to 116 paratroopers or 25 tonnes of cargo. With the ability to conduct military, civil and humanitarian missions, the A400M will enable Kazakhstan to quickly respond to any mission by rapidly deploying game-changing capabilities over long distances and enabling effective access to remote areas.
Jean-Brice Dumont, Head of Air Power at Airbus Defence and Space said that: “Proven for over a decade in military and humanitarian operations worldwide, the A400M is a game changer for the Kazakh Air Defense Forces, delivering unrivalled tactical and strategic capabilities in a single platform. A second A400M, currently in production, will further strengthen these capabilities on its delivery in 2026.”
Airbus has now delivered more than 130 A400Ms to nine countries and the in service fleet has logged more than 200,000 flying hours. The type has participated in missions that have included the evacuation of civilian and military personnel from Afghanistan, Sudan and Niger.
