Representatives of the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan visited Aircraft Repair Plant 406 that performs overhaul and maintenance of general aviation aircrafts.

The Plant has good overhaul and maintenance base and is a leading certified and licensed aircraft repair organization in the Central Asia. The plant currently performs overhaul and maintenance, modifications and upgrades, repairs of components of AN-2T, AN-2P, AN-2TPS, AN-2s/x aircraft, MI-2 helicopters, GTD-350, ASH-62IR engines, BP-2 main gearbox and AV-2 propellers.

During the workshops’ inspection, Director General of Aviation Administration, Peter Griffiths, emphasized the high technical capabilities and production capacity of the aircraft overhaul plant for maintenance and repair of aircraft equipment.

At the meeting with the Company’s Management, they also discussed opportunities for cooperation with other organizations of the aviation industry, improving AN-2 maintenance within aviation technical center in Aktobe.

To date, 320 AN-2 units have been registered in Kazakhstan, 213 of them with a valid airworthiness certificate. The average age of the aircraft is 41 years.

In Kazakhstan, this type of aircraft is used in search and rescue, aviation chemical works, in agriculture and forestry, in geological exploration, aerial photography, and provide medical assistance in hard-to-reach areas. The largest AN-2 operators in Kazakhstan are Aviazhaynar, AIR FLAMINGO, Phoenix, Navigator and Orlan-2000 airlines.

The AN-2 has the ideal technical capabilities to meet the needs of the country. Therefore, the problem of upgrading the fleet of this type of aircraft is very critical. In the Aircraft Repair Plant 406, the cost of AN-2 after a complete rebuilt is 34 million tenge.

Background: AN-2 is multi-purpose aircraft that was developed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the late 1940s. It is a single-engine biplane aircraft. The first prototype flew in 1949. It is still in operation in 17 countries. It is listed in the Guinness Book of records as the only aircraft in the world that has been produced for more than 70 years.

Cruising speed-185 km/h; flight range-2000 km; Capacity and load capacity-12 passengers or 1300 kg of cargo.