Tajikistan’s Somon Air adds Moment IFE to fleet

Somon Air, the national carrier of Tajikistan, has selected Moment to introduce inflight entertainment for the first time, as part of its fleet modernisation with Boeing. The agreement covers eight new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Somon Air currently operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet, and none of its aircraft have offered inflight entertainment until now. The airline is renewing its commercial fleet with new 737 MAX 8 aircraft, as part of a wider modernisation programme announced with Boeing in November 2025. The first 737 MAX 8 was delivered in August 2026. Moment’s platform is scheduled to enter service on these aircraft in the fourth quarter of 2026. The agreement comes as Central Asia records the fastest airline capacity growth of any region in the world: seat capacity across the region has risen by nearly 500% over the past two decades, an average annual growth rate of 7.7%, according to OAG. Somon Air becomes Moment’s second airline customer in Central Asia after SCAT Airlines in Kazakhstan, and its third across the wider Caucasus and Central Asia region, after AZAL, where Moment’s entertainment platform has been on board since 2019. Somon Air’s network has historically been anchored on flights to Russia, connecting Tajik communities there, alongside services to the Gulf, the Middle East, South Asia and a growing number of European points. Somon Air also operates domestic flights within Tajikistan. Moment will equip the aircraft with its Flymingo Box, a portable IFE server that runs on its own battery rather than the aircraft’s power system. Because it requires no Supplemental Type Certificate or structural change, each unit is fitted directly onto the aircraft without an additional certification step, which means Somon Air can bring entertainment onto its new 737 MAX 8 aircraft without adding to its delivery and entry-into-service programme. Each Flymingo Box runs for up to 14 hours between charges and supports up to 100 streaming connected devices, so passengers stream directly to their own smartphones, tablets or laptops. Somon Air chose Moment’s Mood platform for its modular structure: airlines select individual modules rather than a fixed bundle. For this agreement, Somon Air has selected the entertainment module, covering video, games and podcasts, the travel information module, which includes a moving map, and the Ads module, which gives Somon Air’s own teams an advertising server to manage onboard campaigns in full autonomy. As content service provider, Moment will supply Somon Air with an international entertainment catalogue, including films, series, games and podcasts, available in Tajik, Russian and English. “Our fleet renewal is about more than new aircraft, it changes what we can offer passengers from the first flight,” said Abdulkosim Valiev, CEO of Somon Air. “Introducing entertainment at the same time as the 737 MAX 8 enters service means we start this new chapter with a modern cabin experience.“ “Central Asia’s airline capacity has grown by nearly 500% in twenty years, the fastest rate of any region in the world,” said Tanguy Morel, CEO and co-founder of Moment. “Somon Air is introducing entertainment at the same time as it renews its fleet with the 737 MAX 8, so the onboard experience is built in from day one rather than added later. It’s the same pattern we’ve seen with AZAL and SCAT Airlines, and it’s becoming the norm across the region.” For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]