SCAT Airlines (DV, Shymkent) has placed a new order with Boeing for five B737-9s, boosting the number of planned B737-9s in the fleet to a total of 15.

The company also replaced a previous order for five B737-8s with B737-9s, Boeing and SCAT jointly announced, stressing that the move will help the carrier expand its fleet amid growing travel demand.

The Kazakh airline said it was looking to “pioneer seventh-freedom routes from Central Asia across Europe and Asia,” with the updated fleet, while also reducing fuel consumption.

“Converting five of the previously ordered 737-8s to 737-9s, together with the new firm order for five 737-9s, enhances our seating capacity per flight and will improve schedule reliability as we expand our international network,” said SCAT's president, Vladimir Denissov.

SCAT’s active in-house fleet comprises one B737-500, one B737-700, nine B737-8s, seven B737-800s, five B737-9s, three B757-200s, and two CRJ200LRs, according to ch-aviation data.

SCAT Airlines said in November that it was also considering adding either B777 or B787 aircraft to its fleet for deliveries after 2030.