Somon Air
Encyclopedia
Somon Air is the first private airline company in Tajikistan
, and is based at Dushanbe Airport
. The airline started operating on February 5, 2008 with regular flights to Moscow and further to Dubai. Somon Air also serves as the official carrier of the President of Republic of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon.
Since its formation, Somon Air has mainly aimed its passenger service at Eastern Europe
and other locations. Most flights to international locations operate from Dushanbe
. In line with its strategic policy, Somon Air is gradually expanding the geographical coverage of its flights.
At present, the company operates a total of eighteen routes.
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Fleet
Somon Air started operations by wet-leasing a Boeing 737-800. In March of 2009, it obtained a second Boeing 737-800. The fuselage of both airplanes are painted with the colors of the national flag, and they are named after two Tajik heroes – the King Ismoili Somoni, and the writer Sadriddin Ayni
. In the spring of 2010, the company wet-leased a third Boeing 737-800 from the Czech company Travel Service. In the fall of 2011 the company is expected to obtain two new Boeing 737-900 airplanes. Boeing airplanes meet all international aviation rules and requirements.
Flight Geography
In line with its strategic policy, Somon Air is gradually expanding the geographical coverage of flights.
At present, the company operates a total of 15 flights. Out of Dushanbe airport Somon Air operates to Frankfurt am Main (Germany), Dubai (U.A.E), Istanbul (Turkey), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Urumqi (China), the Russian cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk, Yekaterinburg, and the northern Tajik city of Khujand. Additionally, there are regular flights out of the city of Khujand to Krasnoyarsk and St. Petersburg. Every year, the company operates flights to Saudi Arabia during the Hajj season for carriage of pilgrims, including charters flights to Khanty-Mansiysk
and Nizhnevartovsk
.
International Cooperation
In the new era of globalization and international integration, partnerships between airlines play a major role in developing and expanding the aviation market. In this context, Somon Air is looking to sign interline agreements with some of major airlines from the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS), Europe and Asia.
In early August 2009, Somon Air joined IATA’s (International Air Transportation Association) Billing and Settlement Plan of Germany. In addition, the airline is in the process of joining BSP of 13 other countries located in Asia and Europe. BSP is a settlement system designed to simplify the selling, reporting and remitting procedures between passenger sales agents and airlines globally. Nowadays, BSP is used in more than 160 countries and territories worldwide serving over 400 airlines globally.
In addition, Somon Air is closely cooperating with such well-known companies as DHL, DNATA, FRAPORT, THY etc.
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
, and is based at Dushanbe Airport
Dushanbe Airport
Dushanbe International Airport is an airport located in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. Work has begun on upgrading facilities at the airport. Funds made available from unnamed sources will finance enhancements to the runway and apron and the upgrade of the terminal buildings to handle...
. The airline started operating on February 5, 2008 with regular flights to Moscow and further to Dubai. Somon Air also serves as the official carrier of the President of Republic of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon.
Since its formation, Somon Air has mainly aimed its passenger service at Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and other locations. Most flights to international locations operate from Dushanbe
Dushanbe
-Economy:Coal, lead, and arsenic are mined nearby in the cities of Nurek and Kulob allowing for the industrialization of Dushanbe. The Nurek Dam, the world's highest as of 2008, generates 95% of Tajikistan's electricity, and another dam, the Roghun Dam, is planned on the Vakhsh River...
. In line with its strategic policy, Somon Air is gradually expanding the geographical coverage of its flights.
At present, the company operates a total of eighteen routes.
Destinations
Somon Air flies to the following destinations (as of July 2011):- China
- UrumqiÜrümqiÜrümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
- Diwopu International Airport
- Urumqi
- Germany
- FrankfurtFrankfurtFrankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
- Frankfurt AirportFrankfurt AirportFrankfurt Airport may refer to:Airports of Frankfurt, Germany:*Frankfurt Airport , the largest airport in Germany*Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport, a general aviation airport*Frankfurt-Hahn Airport , a converted U.S...
- Frankfurt
- Kazakhstan
- AlmatyAlmatyAlmaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
- Almaty International AirportAlmaty International AirportAlmaty International Airport is the largest international airport in Kazakhstan. It is located about from the centre of Almaty, the country's largest city and commercial capital. Almaty airport accounts for half of passenger traffic and 68% of cargo traffic to Kazakhstan...
- Almaty
- Kyrgyzstan
- BishkekBishkekBishkek , formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan.Bishkek is also the administrative centre of Chuy Province which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.The name is thought to...
- Manas Airport
- Bishkek
- Russia
- KazanKazanKazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
- Kazan International AirportKazan International AirportKazan International Airport ; IATA: KZN, ICAO: UWKD) is an airport located in Tatarstan, Russia, located 25 km southeast of Kazan. The current airport main terminal building was opened in 1979, and has served international flights since 1985. The airport was renovated for the Kazan millenium... - Khanty-MansiyskKhanty-MansiyskKhanty-Mansiysk experiences a subarctic climate . The climate is extreme, with temperatures as low as -49 C° and as high as 34.5 C°. On average, however, the region is very cold, with an average tempurature of -1.1 C°...
- Khanty-Mansiysk AirportKhanty-Mansiysk AirportKhanty-Mansiysk Airport , also listed as Khantymansiysk Airport, is an airport in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia located 5 km northeast of Khanty-Mansiysk. It services medium-size airliners.-Airlines and destinations:... - KrasnoyarskKrasnoyarskKrasnoyarsk is a city and the administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. It is the third largest city in Siberia, with the population of 973,891. Krasnoyarsk is an important junction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and one of Russia's largest producers of...
- Yemelyanovo AirportYemelyanovo AirportYemelyanovo International Airport is a major airport in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia located 37 km northwest of Krasnoyarsk. It opened for operations in 1980. Presently, Yemelyanovo makes regular cargo and passenger flights of over 40 Russian and overseas carriers... - KrasnodarKrasnodarKrasnodar is a city in Southern Russia, located on the Kuban River about northeast of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. It is the administrative center of Krasnodar Krai . Population: -Name:...
- Pashkovsky AirportPashkovsky AirportKrasnodar International Airport , also known as Pashkovsky Airport or 'Aviagorodok 5' in military parlance is the main airport serving the southern Russian city of Krasnodar. It is the operating hub of Kuban Airlines, which also runs the airport... - MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
- Domodedovo Airport - NizhnevartovskNizhnevartovskNizhnevartovsk is the second largest city in Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located along the right bank of the Ob River. Population: 251,860 ; 239,044 ;...
- Nizhnevartovsk AirportNizhnevartovsk AirportNizhnevartovsk Airport is a major airport in Russia located 4 km northwest of Nizhnevartovsk. It is a large civilian airport with an asphalt runway, handling some widebody aircraft. The airport is a key element of the region's gas production region.... - NovosibirskNovosibirskNovosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...
- Tolmachevo Airport - OrenburgOrenburgOrenburg is a city on the Ural River and the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies southeast of Moscow, very close to the border with Kazakhstan. Population: 546,987 ; 549,361 ; Highest point: 154.4 m...
- Orenburg Tsentralny AirportOrenburg Tsentralny AirportTsentralny Airport is a civil airport located about 25 km east of Orenburg city.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:... - St. Petersburg - Pulkovo AirportPulkovo AirportPulkovo Airport is an international airport serving Saint Petersburg, Russia. It consists of two terminals, Pulkovo-1 and Pulkovo-2 , which are located about and south of the city centre, respectively. The airport serves as a hub for Rossiya Airlines , and as focus city for Nordavia...
- YekaterinburgYekaterinburgYekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...
- Koltsovo Airport
- Kazan
- Saudi Arabia
- JeddahJeddahJeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
- King Abdulaziz International AirportKing Abdulaziz International AirportKing Abdulaziz International Airport is an aviation facility located 19 km to the north of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Named after King Abdulaziz Al Saud, the airport is Saudi Arabia's third largest air facility and busiest airport by passenger. The airport occupies an area of 15 square kilometers...
- Jeddah
- Tajikistan
- DushanbeDushanbe-Economy:Coal, lead, and arsenic are mined nearby in the cities of Nurek and Kulob allowing for the industrialization of Dushanbe. The Nurek Dam, the world's highest as of 2008, generates 95% of Tajikistan's electricity, and another dam, the Roghun Dam, is planned on the Vakhsh River...
- Dushanbe AirportDushanbe AirportDushanbe International Airport is an airport located in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. Work has begun on upgrading facilities at the airport. Funds made available from unnamed sources will finance enhancements to the runway and apron and the upgrade of the terminal buildings to handle...
- Dushanbe
- Khudzhand - Khudzhand Airport
- IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
- Atatürk International AirportAtatürk International AirportAtatürk International Airport is the major international airport in Istanbul, Turkey. Opened in 1924 and located in Yeşilköy, on the European side of the city, it is west of the city centre. In 1980, the airport was renamed to Atatürk International Airport in honor of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the...
- SimferopolSimferopol-Russian Empire and Civil War:The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia. The name Simferopol is derived from the Greek, Συμφερόπολις , translated as "the city of usefulness." In 1802, Simferopol became the...
- Simferopol AirportSimferopol AirportSimferopol International Airport is airport in Simferopol, Ukraine. It was built in 1936. The airport has two terminals - International and Local.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:* /*NOAA/NWS weather observations*ASN...
- DubaiDubaiDubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
- Dubai International AirportDubai International AirportDubai International Airport is an international airport serving Dubai, the largest city of the United Arab Emirates. It is a major aviation hub in the Middle East, and is the main airport of Dubai. It is situated in the Al Garhoud district, southeast of Dubai...
Fleet
Somon Air operates the following types as of July 2011:| Aircraft | In fleet | Orders | Seats | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | ||||
| Boeing 737-800 Boeing 737 Next Generation The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners... |
2 | 0 | 16 | 156 | 172 | both equipped with winglets |
| Boeing 737-900ER Boeing 737 Next Generation The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners... |
2 | Launch customer in Central Asia & CIS | ||||
| Total | 2 | 1 | ||||
Fleet
Somon Air started operations by wet-leasing a Boeing 737-800. In March of 2009, it obtained a second Boeing 737-800. The fuselage of both airplanes are painted with the colors of the national flag, and they are named after two Tajik heroes – the King Ismoili Somoni, and the writer Sadriddin Ayni
Sadriddin Ayni
Sadriddin Ayni , also Sadriddin Aini, a Tajik intellectual prolifically engaged in poetry, fictional writing, journalism, history and lexicography...
. In the spring of 2010, the company wet-leased a third Boeing 737-800 from the Czech company Travel Service. In the fall of 2011 the company is expected to obtain two new Boeing 737-900 airplanes. Boeing airplanes meet all international aviation rules and requirements.
Flight Geography
In line with its strategic policy, Somon Air is gradually expanding the geographical coverage of flights.
At present, the company operates a total of 15 flights. Out of Dushanbe airport Somon Air operates to Frankfurt am Main (Germany), Dubai (U.A.E), Istanbul (Turkey), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Urumqi (China), the Russian cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk, Yekaterinburg, and the northern Tajik city of Khujand. Additionally, there are regular flights out of the city of Khujand to Krasnoyarsk and St. Petersburg. Every year, the company operates flights to Saudi Arabia during the Hajj season for carriage of pilgrims, including charters flights to Khanty-Mansiysk
Khanty-Mansiysk
Khanty-Mansiysk experiences a subarctic climate . The climate is extreme, with temperatures as low as -49 C° and as high as 34.5 C°. On average, however, the region is very cold, with an average tempurature of -1.1 C°...
and Nizhnevartovsk
Nizhnevartovsk
Nizhnevartovsk is the second largest city in Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located along the right bank of the Ob River. Population: 251,860 ; 239,044 ;...
.
International Cooperation
In the new era of globalization and international integration, partnerships between airlines play a major role in developing and expanding the aviation market. In this context, Somon Air is looking to sign interline agreements with some of major airlines from the Commonwealth of Independent States
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
(CIS), Europe and Asia.
In early August 2009, Somon Air joined IATA’s (International Air Transportation Association) Billing and Settlement Plan of Germany. In addition, the airline is in the process of joining BSP of 13 other countries located in Asia and Europe. BSP is a settlement system designed to simplify the selling, reporting and remitting procedures between passenger sales agents and airlines globally. Nowadays, BSP is used in more than 160 countries and territories worldwide serving over 400 airlines globally.
In addition, Somon Air is closely cooperating with such well-known companies as DHL, DNATA, FRAPORT, THY etc.