Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 6 / Trend , G.Dadashova /
The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) is supporting its first transaction in the Central Asian nation of Tajikistan: the purchase of Boeing Next-Generation 737-900ER aircraft by Somon Air, a privately owned airline based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the bank reported.
This is Boeing's first sale to Somon Air and the first export of its 737-900ER and "Sky Interior" aircraft to Central Asia. The aircraft are fitted with engines from CFM International Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio. Somon Air accepted delivery of the first of the aircraft from Boeing last week.
Ex-Im Bank is providing an $80 million guarantee of the loan from the Private Export Funding Corp. (PEFCO). The financing is structured as an asset-backed finance lease secured by first-priority mortgages on the aircraft.
"This historic transaction not only supports U.S. manufacturing jobs in both Washington and Ohio but also employment at Boeing's suppliers across the country, including many small businesses. It also assists Somon Air in the expansion of its fleet," said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg.
Somon Air, the first privately owned airline in Tajikistan, began operating flights to Moscow in 2008. The airline presently operates regular flights to Frankfurt, Germany; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Istanbul, Turkey; Almaty, Kazakhstan; Urumqi, China; Moscow, St. Petersburg and several other cities in Russia.
Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that helps create and maintain U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financing at no cost to American taxpayers. The Bank is a self-sustaining agency that receives no net appropriation from the U.S. Congress and charges interest and fees to fund its transactions.