President of Turkmenistan’s aircraft office. Photo: turkmen.news
The ruling Berdymukhamedov family of Turkmenistan has reportedly added another VIP-class jet to its private fleet. According to Turkmen.news, the aircraft is a Boeing 737-700 that was transformed from a standard passenger jet into a “flying palace” by a U.S. luxury aircraft outfitter.
In late 2023, a Boeing operated by Turkmenistan Airlines, tail number EZ-A006, flew from Ashgabat to the United States. The aircraft landed in Lake Charles, Louisiana, home to Citadel Completions, a boutique firm specializing in converting commercial planes into luxury, custom-designed aircraft.
The Turkmen jet underwent extensive modifications. In 2024, details of its decor appeared online when Citadel Completions interior design manager Connor Oliver Weisent published 3D renderings of the project, describing it as a business jet for a head of state.
The images showed interiors decorated in a distinctly Turkmen style — carpet motifs on ceilings and walls, handmade rugs on the floors, and numerous statuettes of Akhal-Teke horses. The bathroom design included a gilded sink and fixtures, as well as a mirror framed with Oguz Khan’s eight-pointed stars — one of Turkmenistan’s national symbols. After journalists requested comments, Weisent removed the images from his website.
The project’s cost remains undisclosed, but Citadel Completions Vice President Neil Boyle told Forbes that converting a standard aircraft into a “flying palace” can cost up to $140 million, depending on the client’s requirements.
Turkmen.news also reported on previous aircraft purchases for the Berdymukhamedov family. In 2008, then-President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov signed a decree to buy a Boeing 737-700 for $55 million and pay an additional $21 million to a Texas-based firm for VIP customization — all funded by the state concern Turkmengas. In 2017, another similar project cost $32 million, financed from the national budget.
The newly refurbished Boeing, now registered as EZ-A010, brings the family’s luxury fleet to five aircraft: two Boeing 777s and three Boeing 737s.
The planes reportedly serve not only President Serdar Berdymukhamedov and his father, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov — now chair of the upper house of parliament — but also other family members, including the president’s son, Kerimguly Berdymukhamedov, and sister, Oguldzahan Atabaeva.
Back in 2022, reports indicated that then-President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov had taken two airliners from the national carrier for personal use, expanding the “family fleet” to five aircraft. One of them had been converted into a premium-class jet featuring a VIP bedroom, a private bathroom with a shower and bidet, a custom desk, and a massage chair. The cabin was finished with expensive materials, including gilded accents, and equipped with numerous monitors and touch screens.
