DUSAHNBE, October 21, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Chinese aircraft MA-60 will replace the Soviet-era An-24, An-26 and Yak-40 in Tajikistan, Alimurod Mahmadaliyev, the director general of Tajik national air carrier, Tajik Air, announced at a news conference in Dushanbe today.

According to him, an agreement on purchase of two MA-60s was concluded last summer.  “All issues related to certification of the aircraft have been solved,” Mahmadaliyev said.

Tajik air plans to use MA-60 to serve domestic routes as well as operate flights from Dushanbe to Tehran (Iran), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Almaty (Kazakhstan) and serve other regional destinations.

The Xian MA60 (Modern Ark 60) is a turboprop-powered airliner made by China''s Xi''an Aircraft Industrial Corporation under the China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I).  

The airplane received its type certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in June 2000.  The first aircraft was delivered to Sichuan Airlines in August 2000.  As of October 2006, XAC has received over 90 MA60 orders.  The factory had delivered 23 MA60s by the end of 2006, and expects to deliver an additional 165 units by the end of 2016.

Tajik Air (Tajikistan Airlines) is the national airline of Tajikistan.  It is based in Dushanbe Airport, and retains a secondary focus point at Khujand Airport.  The company serves 21 destinations.

The Tajik Air fleet now includes 36 aircraft; 17 of them have already outlived their service life and only 19 are operational: 4 Tu-154s; 2 Yak-40s, 2 An-28s; 4 An-26s, 2 Boeing 737-500s, 1 Boeing 7373-200; and three helicopters.