A ceremony to lay the foundation stone for a Boeing aircraft maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) hangar center was held in Shymkent, according to the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Transport.
“The new complex will become the largest aircraft maintenance and repair facility in Central Asia and one of the most significant infrastructure projects in Kazakhstan’s aviation industry,” the ministry said.
The project involves the creation of a modern full-cycle production center focused on servicing Boeing aircraft, including the Boeing-737 (Classic/NG/MAX) and Boeing-757/767 families, as well as promising programs for Boeing-777 wide-body aircraft. In this regard, the purchase of additional Boeing aircraft is planned.
The complex will be located on an area of 10 hectares. The total area of the engineering and technical infrastructure will exceed 45,000 square meters, including an aircraft parking area of more than 6 hectares. It is planned to build at least 15 high-tech facilities.
“The implementation of the project will allow Kazakhstan to create a modern service base of international level, capable of attracting foreign airlines to service their aircraft, expanding industry competencies and creating new highly skilled jobs,” the press release said.
It is noted that the initiative to create the center was developed during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s working visit to the United States, where, at a meeting with Boeing executives, the prospects for expanding strategic cooperation were discussed, including the implementation of a project to build a Boeing aircraft maintenance and repair center in Shymkent.
Earlier, Kazakh airline SCAT agreed with Boeing Co. to increase the number of Boeing 737 aircraft in its fleet to 15 by 2035: in September 2025, SCAT received its 11th Boeing 737 MAX8.
A few years ago, Kazakh airline Air Astana announced plans to start flying to the US once it got its hands on some Boeing 787 Dreamliners. In November 2025, Air Astana said it signed a deal with Boeing Co. to get up to 15 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The airline expects to take delivery of four Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners in the fourth quarter of 2026.
