Scat Airlines also left a mark at the Dubai Air Show 2023. For those less accustomed with central Asian aviation, SCAT is the second largest airline by passenger numbers in Kazakhstan and the first by fleet size. In the past years there have been important investments in the aviation sector of Kazakhstan therefore it isn’t a surprise to see an order from one of the largest airlines in the country for modern jets. Dubai is also the place for this to take place as the middle east is a center of attention for central Asian markets. So with all of that out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the SCAT Airlines Boeing 737 MAX order.
The SCAT Boeing 737 MAX Order
To be precise this isn’t an entirely new order to Boeing. SCAT and the Seattle based manufacturer had already signed and sealed the agreement. However the order had been initially places under undefined orders in Boeing’s order book. Only now has it been disclosed that it had been placed by SCAT. The reason to do so? Well it’s quite simple. Announcing an aircraft purchase at a prestigious air show such as Dubai gets a lot of media coverage that would be difficultly achievable for an airline such as SCAT.
As for the order itself, the Kazakh airline has placed an order with Boeing for 7 brand new planes. Specifically SCAT ordered the Boeing 737-8 of the MAX family. The airline already owns 2 of the type and it’s almost certain that these further 7 will be setup with the same high density 1 class configuration. SCAT seats 186 passengers in an all economy class configuration with 6 seats abreast (3-3).
Interestingly 1 of the 2 planes already present in the SCAT fleet was initially intended to join Belarusian carrier Belavia.
Operating all Generations of 737
Another interesting fact about SCAT Airlines is that they own and operate all generations of the Boeing 737: Classic, NG and MAX. Specifically the airline operates these 737 variants:
- 737-300
- 737-500
- 737-700
- 737-800
- 737 MAX 8
- 737 MAX 9
Replacement of Expansion for SCAT Airlines?
So the question now around this order is whether the airline will be using these new planes to replace older ageing ones or expand its operations. From the purchase statement it seems like the intention is to expand operations serving more European destinations. However it might be also time to say goodbye to some of those fuel hungry 737 classics and have a more efficient overall operation.
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