The ruling family of Turkmenistan has once again drawn global attention – and outrage – for its extravagant misuse of state assets. Investigations by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), along with its partners at Turkmen.News and Gundogar, have revealed that a Boeing 737 aircraft belonging to Turkmenistan Airlines, the nation’s state-owned flag carrier, has been converted into a luxurious private jet exclusively for the use of the Berdimuhamedov family.

According to flight records and corporate disclosures, the aircraft, which once transported ordinary passengers between Ashgabat and destinations such as Istanbul and Minsk, was secretly flown to the United States on December 6, 2023. Officially, the trip was described as a maintenance-related journey. In reality, it was the start of a lavish transformation that would turn a standard commercial aircraft into a “palace in the sky”.

After nearly a year, the Boeing returned to Turkmenistan in late 2024 – no longer a passenger jet, but a glittering luxury aircraft complete with gold-plated fittings, an onboard shower, and interiors featuring traditional Turkmen ornamentation. What was once a 118-seat economy-class plane had been reborn as an exclusive airborne residence for the country’s ruling elite.

How a national airline became a family asset

Turkmenistan Airlines, officially under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, operates a modest fleet of Boeing and Bombardier aircraft serving limited international routes. Once a symbol of national pride, the airline has increasingly become a tool for the Berdimuhamedov family’s personal indulgence.

Under the autocratic leadership of former president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and his son Serdar Berdimuhamedov, who succeeded him in 2022, the distinction between state property and personal wealth has effectively vanished.

While the airline struggles to maintain international service standards and faces sanctions over safety compliance issues, the ruling family reportedly diverts millions of dollars from public funds to finance the acquisition and refurbishment of private jets, disguised as “state aviation projects”.

An aviation expert in the region, speaking anonymously for security reasons, told Weekly Blitz:

“Turkmenistan Airlines has long ceased to operate as a genuine national carrier. It now functions as a logistical arm of the presidential household, with aircraft routinely repurposed for private luxury or political pageantry”.

Luxury redesign in the US

The Boeing 737 in question – painted in the familiar green-and-white livery of Turkmenistan Airlines – resurfaced in early 2024 at Chennault International Airport in Lake Charles, Louisiana. It was handled by Citadel Completions, a US-based boutique firm specializing in high-end aircraft interiors for wealthy individuals and heads of state.

Citadel Completions, which boasts of crafting “bespoke interiors for the most discerning clientele”, received authorization from Turkmenistan’s Civil Aviation Authority in 2023 to service Turkmenistan Airlines aircraft.

By July 2024, Citadel had even posted an Instagram photo showing the aircraft in its hangar, still in the airline’s livery, with a caption emphasizing the firm’s “unmatched care” in meeting client needs.

Further evidence emerged through the personal online portfolio of Connor Oliver Weisent, Citadel’s manager of interior design. He published several 3D renderings of a project he called “Head of State BBJ (Boeing Business Jet)”, depicting interiors with gold-plated presidential seals, Turkmen-style geometric lighting, custom carpets, and sculptures of the famed Akhal-Teke horse – the national symbol of Turkmenistan.

After reporters contacted him in September 2024, Weisent deleted the entire project from his website – a move that only fueled suspicions of an orchestrated cover-up.

The price of opulence

Citadel’s senior vice president, Neil J. Boyle, told Forbes in 2023 that a luxury aircraft “completion” can cost up to US$140 million, depending on the level of customization. While Citadel declined to comment on this particular project, historical procurement records in Turkmenistan suggest that the price tag for such refurbishments is typically covered by state-owned energy companies, notably Turkmengaz, under presidential decrees.

In 2008, then-President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov authorized the Civil Aviation Authority to purchase a Boeing 737-700 for US$55 million, followed by another US$21 million payment to a Texas-based firm for a VIP interior redesign.

Similarly, in 2017, over US$32 million was disbursed from the state budget for work on another Boeing 737 in the presidential fleet.

In 2022, two Sikorsky S-92 helicopters were acquired at US$40 million each, with US$26 million per unit spent on “refitting” – amounts far exceeding regional norms.

Analysts believe these transactions exemplify Turkmenistan’s deep-seated corruption, where government contracts are awarded to foreign firms under opaque terms, with inflated invoices designed to siphon off millions for the ruling family’s personal accounts.

A fifth Boeing joins the royal fleet

After its US refurbishment, the Boeing – now registered as EZ-A010 – joined a fleet of four other VIP aircraft used exclusively by the Berdimuhamedovs. Although these planes are still technically operated by Turkmenistan Airlines, they are reserved for private travel by the presidential family, with no public access.

The patriarch, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who ruled Turkmenistan from 2006 to 2022, remains the de facto power behind the throne despite officially ceding the presidency to his son. His administration is infamous for cultivating an extreme cult of personality, complete with golden statues, state television adoration, and even songs glorifying his family’s “achievements”.

The newly refurbished jet, EZ-A010, appears to have been designated for the use of Oguljahan Atabayeva, Gurbanguly’s eldest daughter and sister to the current president.

In recent months, flight records show the aircraft making several unannounced trips to destinations such as Dubai, Paris, Monaco, and Baku – often coinciding with Atabayeva’s newly expanded public role.

In April 2025, she arrived in Monaco aboard EZ-A010 for a meeting with Prince Albert II, where Turkmen state media showcased her as a “diplomatic bridge-builder”.

On May 5, 2025, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov landed in Paris onboard the EZ-A777 aircraft for a meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron and a Turkmen-French business forum. State media covered his arrival. But on the same day, a second VIP Turkmen aircraft, EZ-A010, also landed in Paris. No information was released about who was on board. In March, it flew to Dubai just ahead of International Women’s Day, with no explanation given.

In July, both Gurbanguly and her father appeared in Baku for talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, traveling separately in two different presidential jets – a striking display of privilege financed by public money.

A family empire built on state wealth

The Berdimuhamedov family’s grip over Turkmenistan extends far beyond aviation. According to investigative reports, family members and their close associates control key sectors including natural gas, construction, telecommunications, and foreign trade.

State contracts are routinely awarded to shell companies run by loyalists, while the country remains one of the world’s most closed societies – with no independent press, political opposition, or financial transparency.

International observers describe Turkmenistan as a “hereditary dictatorship disguised as a republic”, where public wealth serves as a private inheritance.

The conversion of a Turkmenistan Airlines passenger plane into a personal luxury jet epitomizes how national assets are transformed into instruments of family privilege, with no distinction between state and ruler.

Meanwhile, the airline’s regular passengers – ordinary Turkmen citizens – continue to face chronic delays, outdated fleets, and international restrictions on routes due to poor safety and transparency standards.

As one aviation industry insider told Weekly Blitz:

“While the president’s daughter flies in a golden jet, ordinary Turkmen can’t even get a seat on flights to Istanbul or Dubai. It’s the perfect metaphor for Turkmenistan today — the few fly in gold, while the many stand in line”.

The Berdimukhamedov family’s use of national assets as private property underscores the systemic corruption and unchecked authoritarianism that defines Turkmenistan’s political order. Turning a Turkmenistan Airlines aircraft into a luxury jet is not merely an act of vanity – it is a vivid symbol of how the regime treats an entire nation as its personal estate, with no accountability, transparency, or regard for the suffering of its people.

Please follow Blitz on Google News Channel