Cathay, Hong Kong’s flagship airline, plans to launch regular cargo flights to Astana in August 2026 and begin passenger services between Hong Kong and Almaty in January 2027, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport said.
Cathay is based at Hong Kong International Airport and is among the world’s leading passenger and cargo airlines. The carrier also holds a five-star rating from Skytrax, the British aviation consultancy that evaluates service quality at airlines and airports worldwide.
The airline’s plans to enter the Kazakhstan’s market were discussed during a meeting between Saltanat Tompiyeva, chair of Kazakhstan’s Civil Aviation Committee, and Oliver Coelho, Cathay’s regional manager for the Middle East.
According to the ministry, Cathay intends to begin regular cargo flights to Astana on August 1, operating up to five services a week with Boeing 747 aircraft.
The airline also plans to launch scheduled passenger flights between Hong Kong and Almaty from January 2027. The route is expected to operate three times a week using Airbus A330 aircraft.
Tompiyeva said Kazakhstan was ready to provide the necessary support for both projects.
The two sides agreed to continue work on the regulatory and operational procedures required to launch the services and to coordinate closely on developing air links between Kazakhstan and Hong Kong.
Kazakhstan’s authorities expect the new routes to support trade and tourism. They also expect the services to improve logistics and deepen economic ties with Hong Kong.
Cathay currently operates around 237 aircraft and serves more than 100 passenger destinations. Its cargo subsidiary, Cathay Cargo, operates scheduled freight services to 41 destinations and transports more than 1.67 million tons of cargo annually, placing it among the world’s largest air-freight operators.
As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan’s Transport Minister Nurlan Sauranbayev said in May that direct flights between Astana and Tokyo were expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, while a direct Astana-New York service could be launched in the second quarter of 2027.
In early July, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also called for construction of a second airport in Astana to begin as soon as possible amid rising passenger traffic and intensifying competition between Central Asia’s transport and logistics hubs.
