This Airline’s Launch Of US Flights Postponed Due To Boeing 787 Dreamliner Delays

Air Astana’s chief executive has admitted that due to Boeing delivery delays, the Kazakh airline will have to delay its potential flights to the United States.
The carrier had ordered three Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which were scheduled to be delivered via a lease from Air Lease Corporation (ALC) in H1 2025.
Boeing Delivery Delays
Photo: Boeing
Speaking to Forbes Kazakhstan, Peter Foster, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Astana, disclosed that Boeing delayed the first delivery of the airline’s first Boeing 787-9 aircraft to at least mid-2026, or more than a year after the initial planned delivery date. As a result, while Foster praised the US-based plane maker for making positive progress in recent months, the Kazakh carrier will be forced to push back its plans to introduce services to the US.
It was not immediately clear which destinations in the US it would serve since there have been no official filings with the Department of Transportation (DOT) that would have disclosed the potential routes directly connecting Kazakhstan with the US.
According to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium’s Diio Mi airline planning tool, no airline has scheduled direct or one-stop flights from Kazakhstan to the US since at least 2000, indicating a lack of connectivity between the two countries.
“My personal opinion is that Boeing is already getting into shape. There have been changes made there, and I see them as positive.”
Working With The FAA
Photo: The Bold Bureau | Shutterstock
On January 23, 2024, the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Қазақстан Республикасы Көлік және коммуникациялар министрлігі, MT RK) detailed that the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan (Қазақстанның авиациялық әкімшілігі, AAK) was working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to open direct flights to the US. The statement read that Air Astana was expecting its first 787-9 delivery soon and that the Kazakh airline would undergo an FAA audit.
In July 2024, the Government of Kazakhstan disclosed that Jaslan Mädiev, the Minister of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry, met with Boeing’s representatives, and the Kazakh delegation, led by Mädiev, was informed about the production processes of the plane maker’s aircraft.
During the same meeting, the two sides discussed delivery delays to Kazakhstan-based carriers, and at the time, the Government of Kazakhstan said that the first 787-9 delivery for direct flights between their country and the US would begin in late 2025, indicating another delay.
In addition to Air Astana, SCAT Airlines has also ordered Boeing aircraft, with the latter airline’s latest order coming at the Dubai Airshow in November 2023, when the company ordered seven 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The seven narrowbody jets are still present in Boeing’s backlog, which would add to SCAT Airlines’ three 737 MAX 8s and five 737 MAX 9s, in addition to other Boeing-built aircraft that it operates, per ch-aviation records.
Related Kazakhstan Eyes US Flights With Its 1st Boeing 787 Next Year Air Astana is planning to establish direct flights with the United States in 2025 with its new Boeing Dreamliners.
Ordering 787s
Photo: Boeing
Air Astana first ordered 787 aircraft in March 2012, when Boeing announced that the airline purchased four 767-300ER and three 787-8 aircraft. At the time, Foster said the order was part of the carrier’s long-term growth strategy to expand and modernize its fleet with newer and more fuel-efficient aircraft to serve routes of various lengths. While Boeing has delivered three 767-300ER aircraft between September 2013 and June 2014, according to ch-aviation data, the 787 order never materialized.
In November 2022, Air Astana unveiled that it signed a long-term lease agreement with ALC for three 787-9 aircraft that would be delivered starting in H1 2025. When the Kazakh airline announced the deal, Foster commented that the 787-9 is an important aircraft for the carrier’s fleet modernization as it expands its routes. Meanwhile, Steven Udvar-Házy, the Executive Chairman of ALC, said that the aircraft lessor was pleased to place three 787-9s with Air Astana, greatly enhancing the airline’s long-range network capabilities. Ch-aviation showed that the Kazakh carrier’s only twin-aisle aircraft are the trio of 767-300ERs.