Air Astana (KC, Astana Nursultan Nazarbayev) has placed an order for up to fifteen B787-9s with deliveries to take place between 2032 and 2035.

The order comprises five firm positions, five options, and five purchase rights. It is in addition to three B787-9s that were previously ordered and scheduled for delivery in 2026 and 2027, and now brings total commitments up to 18 aircraft.

Peter Foster, chief executive of Air Astana, said in a statement that the carrier is “strategically committed to boosting its service capabilities from Central Asia and the Caucasus to Asia, to Europe, and the rest of the world over the next decade.” The arrival of the first Boeing B787-9 next year will mark the start of this phase of development, he added.

The airline’s fleet currently comprises eleven A320-200Ns, three A321-200s, four A321-200Ns, thirteen A321-200NX(LR)s, and three B767-300ERs. It also wet-leases one A320-200 from subsidiary FlyArystan.

FlyArystan operates a fleet of fifteen A320-200s and thirteen A320-200Ns. Air Astana has said it aims to grow the fleet of the mainline unit and its low-cost subsidiary by 23 aircraft by 2030.

In the past, Air Astana operated B737-700s, B737-800s, and B757-200s, retired between 2007 and 2020.