In a deal that could be worth up to $207 million, Comlux placed a firm order yesterday at EBACE for three Embraer Legacy 650s, with options for four more. Importantly, this marks the first acquisition of Embraer business jets by Comlux, which currently operates only offerings from Airbus and Bombardier.

The super-midsize Legacy 650s will be based at Comlux Kazakhstan, Fly Comlux’s charter outpost in the former Soviet republic. Embraer is to deliver the first aircraft in December, with the remaining two Legacys to be handed over early next year.

Comlux Kazakhstan currently has four aircraft that it uses for charter–two Bombardier Challenger 605s and two Challenger 805s. The division’s COO, Irina Pay, noted that Kazakhstan sits neatly between two key emerging markets–Russia and China–making it a good base for a charter operator. Kazakhstan is also the world’s ninth-largest country and, thanks to its abundant natural resources, could soon emerge as one of the wealthiest countries in Asia, she said.

According to Pay, Comlux Kazakhstan employs 70 people and, besides charter, can also provide aircraft dispatch, ground handling and flight operations services.