Kazakhstan is expanding its international air connectivity, with new routes and increased flight frequencies to China and Uzbekistan following the Central Asia-China Civil Aviation Cooperation Working Group Conference (C5+1).

According to the Ministry of Transport, Kazakhstan and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance bilateral air traffic and broaden the route network. The agreement includes adding a new Chinese destination, Kulja, to the Kazakh airline network and discussing future flights to Kashgar.

Kulja (also known as Yining) lies in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, about 100 kilometers from the Kazakh border. Kashgar (Kashi), also in Xinjiang, is located approximately 455 kilometers from the border. While launch dates for flights to these cities have not yet been announced, the total number of flights between Kazakhstan and China is set to increase to 124 per week starting in 2025.

SCAT Airlines has already opened three new routes this year:

• Shymkent-Shanghai (since May, two flights per week)
• Shymkent-Xi’an (since July, two flights per week)
• Shymkent-Ürümqi (since July, two flights per week)

In addition, China Eastern Airlines began operating flights from Almaty to Guangzhou in July, with three flights per week. On August 13, a COMAC C909 aircraft flew from Urumqi to Karaganda and back, marking the first landing of the Chinese-made aircraft in Kazakhstan.

During the same conference, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan’s aviation authorities also reached agreements to boost bilateral air traffic. Designated airlines may now operate up to 42 weekly flights on the Almaty-Tashkent and Astana-Tashkent routes, and up to 14 flights on other routes between the two countries. The list of permissible destinations has also been expanded.

In July, Uzbekistan’s My Freighter (operating as Centrum Air) launched twice-weekly flights between Aktau and Nukus. FlyArystan began flying between began flying between Atyrau and Tashkent three times a week on July 15.

“These steps are aimed at improving transport accessibility, strengthening business and cultural ties, and unlocking the tourism potential of both countries,” the Ministry of Transport stated.

As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and other regional partners established the Eurasian Civil Aviation Conference in 2024 as a joint regulatory body to address rising passenger and cargo demand amid the decline of Russian aviation dominance.”

Kazakhstan is embarking on a large-scale modernization of its 16,000 kilometer railway network to significantly increase transit capacity, despite 57% of its infrastructure being worn out, Transport Minister Nurlan Sauranbayev announced at a recent government meeting.

Sauranbayev acknowledged that the aging network affects both the speed and safety of freight, including transit trains. “The infrastructure is operating at full capacity,” he said. “To improve efficiency and sustainability by 2030, we plan to build new lines, modernize 5,000 kilometers of existing track, and repair another 11,000 kilometers.”

Five new railway lines are currently under construction:

• Dostyk-Moyinty (linking the Chinese border to central Kazakhstan)
• Almaty bypass line (southern Kazakhstan)
• Darbaza-Maktaaral (Turkestan region)
• Moyinty-Kyzylzhar (connecting the west and center)
• Bakhta-Ayagoz (eastern Kazakhstan, to enhance trade with China)

Two projects Dostyk-Moyinty and the Almaty bypass, are scheduled for early completion this year. The remaining lines will be finished by 2026.

This year also marks the launch of a large-scale modernization of 3,000 kilometers of track, which the minister described as equivalent to constructing entirely new lines. “These projects are shaping a full-fledged railway framework for Kazakhstan,” Sauranbayev stated. Additionally, rail traffic to China has resumed through the Dostyk station.

Kazakhstan currently hosts five international railway corridors. Transit volume is expected to rise sharply, from 33 million tons in 2025, to 54 million tons in 2026, and 67 million tons by 2029. Forecasts suggest volumes could reach 100 million tons by 2035, worth an estimated 4.4 trillion tenge (approximately $9.1 billion). “Our goal is to reach this figure even sooner,” the minister noted.

Transit traffic has already doubled over the past decade, reaching 27.4 million tons in 2024. Seven cargo handling terminals now operate at Kazakhstan’s borders, with two more to open soon and five additional facilities planned. “This will establish a terminal network along the East-West route. We offer a transit product based on three pillars: delivery time, tariffs, and service,” Sauranbayev said.

He also highlighted the stability of tariffs along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), or “Middle Corridor,” which connects Kazakhstan to Europe while bypassing Russia. Tariffs have remained unchanged for three years. Preparations for an intergovernmental agreement on further development of the route are set to begin shortly.

As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, the national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) announced in December that customs declaration procedures for transit cargo along the Middle Corridor have been digitalized.