Tashkent, Uzbekistan, July 21
By Demir Azizov - Trend:
The Uzbek government has approved a scheme of financing the purchase of two Boeing-787-800 aircraft by the country's national airline Uzbekistan Airways (O'zbekiston Havo Yo'llari).
The government's special decree 'On the mechanism of financing the acquisition of two Boeing-787-800 aircraft and a spare engine' was made public on July 21 by the Uzbek media.
Under this document, the contract on purchasing two Boeing-787-800 aircraft and a spare engine worth $246.4 million will be financed with the Uzbek airline's advance payments worth $3.86 million, a $123.2 million worth loan from the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan (FRDU) and foreign loans.
The government instructed the relevant ministries and agencies to secure the selection of foreign banks to raise loans to finance 40 percent of the cost of the purchased aircraft.
Uzbekistan Airways concluded contracts with Boeing in 2007-2008 for the purchase of four Boeing-767-300ER aircraft and two Boeing-787-800 Dreamliner aircraft with total value of $577.5 million.
Boeing delivered the last of four Boeing-767-300ER aircraft to Tashkent in July 2013. The purchase of airliners is being carried out with the funds of the Uzbekistan Airways, FRDU and the Islamic Development Bank loan worth $170 million.
The first Boeing-787-800 Dreamliner aircraft and its spare engine are envisaged to be delivered in June 2016. Uzbekistan Airways will receive the second plane in August, 2016.
Uzbekistan Airways' fleet currently consists of 31 aircraft of western production, including 13 Boeings (four 767-300, five 757-200 and four 767- 300-ER), 13 Airbuses (three A-310 and 10 A-320-200), three medium-range RJ-85 planes and two Airbus A300-600F cargo planes.
The airline is the monopoly carrier in Uzbekistan and is wholly owned by the state.
The Uzbek airline increased passenger transportation in 2013 by 1.5 percent up to 2.677 million passengers as compared with 2012.
Uzbekistan Airways carries out flights to 21 cities in Europe, America, Middle East, Asia, to 22 cities of the CIS countries, and 11 domestic flights.