Somon Air’s Boeing 737-900 operates its first flight to St. Petersburg

DUSHANBE, October 14, 2011, Asia-Plus – Boeing 737-900 belonging to Tajik private air carrier, Somon Air, has operated its first flight to St. Petersburg.

The Somon Air press center reports the company’s first Boeing 737-900 operated the flight to St. Petersburg on October 13.

We will recall that Somon Air presented its fourth Boeing type aircraft on September 29.  According to the Somon Air press center, Boeing 737-900 has appeared in the CIS air space for the first time.

The aircraft having 184 seats has been assembled in Seattle especially by order from Somon Air.  The aircraft is named after National Hero of Tajikistan Shirinsho Shotemur and it will be used to operate flights to Urumqi (China), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Frankfurt am Main (Germany), Istanbul (Turkey), Jeddah, (Saudi Arabia), Moscow and St. Petersburg (Russia).

The aircraft is also expected to operate flights to Bangkok (Thialand) and Seoul (Korea).  Somon Air reportedly plans to launch air routes from Dushanbe to Bangkok and Seoul in the future.

Another Boeing 737-900 is expected to arrive in Dushanbe by the end of this year, the source added.

Boeing 737-900 is considered to be the longest and most powerful variant to date.  Because the -900 retained the same number of exits as the -800, seating capacity was limited to 189 in a single-class layout. The 737-900 also retained the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) and fuel capacity of the -800, trading range for payload. These shortcomings until recently prevented the 737-900 from effectively competing with the Airbus A321.

Somon Air is an airline based in Dushanbe.  It is Tajikistan's first private airline.  Somon Air is also the first airline in Tajikistan to launch an online booking system. The airline uses the Boeing 737 in its fleet.

Somon Air now operates to the following destinations: China (Urumqi); Germany (Frankfurt am Main); Kazakhstan (Almaty); Russia (Khanty-Mansisysk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Orenburg, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Nizhnevartovsk, Novosibirsk, Tyumen and Yekaterinburg); Saudi Arabia (Jeddah); Tajikistan (Khujand); Turkey (Istanbul); Ukraine (Simferopol); and the United Arab Emirates (Dubai).