Air Astana - The Times Of Central Asia

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international flights

China–Central Asia Flights Expand as Aviation Booms

Passenger and cargo links between Central Asia and China are expanding, with 117 scheduled weekly flights now connecting Kazakhstan and China, up 52% from a year earlier. Aviation officials from China and the five Central Asian countries are meeting in Tashkent on November 3–5 to discuss opening the market further. Trade between China and Central Asia reached $106.3 billion in 2025, up 12% from the previous year. The expansion of aviation has coincided with rising tourism and the gradual easing of restrictions on airlines across the region. Kazakhstan introduced an "open skies" policy at major airports in 2019, relaxing limits on foreign carriers, while Uzbekistan has also eased access to its market. A Decade of Aviation Growth According to a Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) study published on October 13, Central Asian airlines carried 31.7 million passengers in 2025, almost twice as many as in 2019. Between 2015 and 2025, the number of airline seats available in the region grew by an average of 7.7% annually, nearly three times the global rate. Low-cost airlines accounted for 21% of the region's available seats in 2025, with Kazakhstan's FlyArystan the largest operator in this segment. Air cargo carried by the region's airlines more than quadrupled between 2023 and 2025, reaching 335,700 metric tons. Uzbek operators accounted for approximately 67% of the total. Kazakhstan Leads the Passenger Market Kazakhstan accounted for 48.7% of Central Asia's airline passenger traffic in 2025, the largest share in the region, according to the EDB. By late October 2026, airlines were operating 21 routes between Kazakhstan and China and had carried more than one million passengers between the two countries since the beginning of the year, according to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Transport. In July, the two countries' aviation authorities agreed to increase the permitted number of weekly flights from 124 to 152. The list of approved destinations in China expanded to 11 cities, including Chongqing. The negotiations also addressed the possibility of opening a third air corridor across their shared border to accommodate additional flights. New routes launched this year include FlyArystan's services from Almaty to Xi'an in June and Chongqing in September. Air Astana also began flying between Astana and Guangzhou in June. On October 30, Air Astana and China Southern Airlines signed a strategic partnership agreement intended to make connecting flights between their networks easier. It builds on their existing codeshare arrangements, which allow the airlines to sell tickets on one another's flights. Uzbekistan Expands Passenger and Cargo Flights Uzbekistan has Central Asia's second-largest passenger aviation market. Its airports handled 12.66 million passengers in the first nine months of 2026, up 13% year over year, according to Uzbekistan Airports. Uzbekistan's Ministry of Transport reported in August 2025 that 61 passenger flights and more than 120 cargo and transit flights were operating weekly between Uzbekistan and China. The expansion followed agreements that increased the number of airlines permitted to operate between the two countries and gave carriers greater rights to transport freight through third countries. China Eastern Airlines...

Direct Flights

Etihad Flights to Uzbekistan Begin Daily as Almaty Service Moves to 2027

Etihad Airways has launched daily service between Abu Dhabi and Tashkent, adding Uzbekistan to its operated network. A direct service to Almaty that had been scheduled for March 2026 is now expected in 2027. Etihad's inaugural outbound flight departed Abu Dhabi on August 9 and arrived in Tashkent early on August 10. The return flight left later that morning, and the route is operated with an Airbus A320. Etihad senior vice president Jurriaan Pieter Stelder told The Times of Central Asia that the airline had studied Uzbekistan's aviation market for several years before entering it. He said the growth of local airlines and established business demand led Etihad to begin with a higher frequency than it might use in other new markets. Etihad expects the route to perform in line with its network, which recorded an average passenger load factor of 89.7% in the first two months of 2026. Stelder said the carrier expects to fill at least 140 of roughly 160 seats on each leg. The route is supported by a codeshare agreement with Uzbekistan Airways that took effect in May. Etihad customers can buy a single ticket through Tashkent to eight domestic destinations, while Uzbekistan Airways passengers can connect to Abu Dhabi on the Etihad service. The partnership allows Etihad to test demand for Samarkand through Uzbekistan Airways. “We know there is particularly strong demand for Samarkand,” Stelder said. He added that Etihad could eventually operate another route in Uzbekistan if the market grows. Commercial ties between Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have grown rapidly, including through civil aviation cooperation. In January 2025, the two governments set targets to increase bilateral trade by a factor of ten by 2030 and raise the bilateral investment portfolio to $50 billion. Etihad Chief Digital Officer Frank Meyer said the relationship already supports business travel, while tourism demand needs further development. He added that Etihad would hire local staff for airport operations and sales, while local contractors would handle ground services. Etihad already reaches Kazakhstan through a codeshare with Air Astana. The agreement allows customers to book Air Astana-operated connections through Almaty and Astana. Etihad announced plans for its own Almaty route in July 2025, with eight weekly flights scheduled from March 16, 2026. The launch did not take place, but Stelder said the carrier had not abandoned the destination. “We expect to start flying to Kazakhstan, specifically Almaty, sometime in 2027,” he said. “For now, we decided it was better to start with Tashkent.”

EU-Kazakhstan Cooperation

Tokayev’s Brussels Visit Brings Aviation Pact, Visa Progress and $12 Billion Business Package

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev left Brussels with a broader package than the transport announcements that opened his two-day visit on June 22-23. Kazakhstan and the European Union signed an aviation agreement, completed talks at negotiators’ level on easier short-stay visas, backed new road and mineral projects, and endorsed an Air Astana aircraft order worth €7.145 billion. Tokayev also said the business program produced commercial agreements and memoranda worth more than $12 billion. Tokayev met with European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on June 23. Their joint statement placed connectivity, energy security and resilient supply chains at the center of the relationship. Von der Leyen called Kazakhstan “a global gateway” and said the EU was ready to turn it into “a pathway for jobs, business opportunities and common prosperity.” Negotiators completed talks on Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements, opening the way for internal approval procedures. The visa agreement would simplify applications for short stays in the EU, though the agreement would not create visa-free travel and has not yet entered into force. The two sides also signed a Horizontal Aviation Agreement after negotiations lasting more than two decades. Once internal procedures are complete, any eligible EU airline will be able to operate between Kazakhstan and 17 member states that already have air service arrangements with Astana. Existing rules generally reserve those rights for airlines owned or controlled by nationals of the country concerned. EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said the pact would bring “our people and economies closer together.” A separate agreement covered up to 50 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft for Air Astana. The joint statement valued the order at €7.145 billion. That transaction formed the largest named item within the more than $12 billion in commercial agreements and memoranda announced during the visit. Tokayev presented the total as evidence of European business confidence in Kazakhstan. Transport and connectivity remained the backbone of the trip. Before the leaders met, Kazakhstan and its European partners unveiled four Middle Corridor agreements worth a combined $462 million. They included airport digitalization work with SITA, an EBRD-backed loan for the 234-kilometer Aktobe-Ulgaisyn road, a KTZ Express project at Romania's Port of Midia, and cooperation with A.P. Moller-Maersk on container traffic across the Trans-Caspian route. The leaders welcomed a European Investment Bank framework agreement of up to €150 million for Kazakh roads along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor. An EBRD memorandum will support an internationally accredited chemical-analytical laboratory for critical raw materials. Other documents cover intelligent transport systems, the E-Zholdary road platform and a minerals and metals center of excellence. Brussels also encouraged the EIB to open an office in Astana. These projects connect the visit to the EU's effort to build a reliable route between Central Asia and Europe through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye. Tokayev said annual freight volumes had risen from 800,000 tons to 4.1 million tons over six years. Kazakhstan aims to raise the corridor’s capacity to 10 million tons, but ports, railways, border...

Aviation

Kazakhstan Expands Aviation Hub with Focus on U.S. and Long-Haul Flights

Kazakhstan is preparing for an audit by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that would allow the country to launch direct flights to the United States. To achieve this, the government must demonstrate the reliability of its aviation regulatory system, the presence of an independent and effective oversight body, and transparent airline certification procedures. The country is also planning to acquire modern long-haul aircraft and has begun construction of its first maintenance center to service them. The Times of Central Asia spoke with representatives of Kazakhstan’s aviation industry about the progress of these efforts, when direct flights to North America may begin, and what challenges remain. As part of efforts to expand international routes and strengthen Kazakhstan’s position as an aviation hub between Europe and Asia, Bauyrzhan Umiraliyev, head of the Aviation Safety Department at the Civil Aviation Committee, said the national carrier Air Astana plans to purchase 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, with deliveries scheduled between 2026 and 2035. “This is a strategically important decision that can significantly boost civil aviation, the economy, and the country’s international standing,” an aviation authority representative told The Times of Central Asia. “Long-haul aircraft will allow airlines to launch direct flights to destinations in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia that were previously inaccessible or required layovers.” The aircraft will also enhance Kazakhstan’s attractiveness as a transit hub and tourist destination, while enabling airlines to compete internationally through improved efficiency, pricing, and service quality. The purchase of these aircraft, previously delayed twice since 2025 due to production backlogs at Boeing, is expected to open new opportunities for Kazakhstan’s aviation sector, particularly following the anticipated attainment of Category 1 (CAT-1) safety status, confirming compliance with international aviation standards. CAT-1: The Path to the U.S. In 2024, Kazakhstan’s aviation authorities and the FAA signed an agreement to conduct a technical assessment under the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program. According to Aslan Satzhanov, Acting Executive Director of the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan, the assessment identified areas requiring improvement in flight safety oversight. “We are currently working on amendments to regulatory acts to implement modern safety procedures and standardize processes, with technical support from FAA experts,” Satzhanov said. In parallel, experts from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration have conducted preliminary assessments of airport security under the Export Control and Border Security Program. The first visit, in October 2021, resulted in a generally positive evaluation of Kazakhstan’s aviation security framework. A follow-up visit in August 2022 focused on screening procedures for passengers, baggage, and cargo at Astana Airport. “The capital’s airport received a positive assessment, and the coordinated work of aviation security personnel was noted,” Satzhanov said. According to preliminary information, the full IASA audit may take place after long-haul aircraft enter service and relevant infrastructure is fully prepared; though, it should be noted that Kazakhstan does not control the timing of the IASA audit. Industry Awaits New Aircraft Preparations for launching new international routes, including previously announced flights to New York and Tokyo, are already underway....

Civil Aviation

Iran War Quietly Raises the Strategic Value of Central Asian Airspace

The war in Iran has disrupted one of the main aviation corridors linking Europe and Asia. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued safety bulletins warning of high risk to civilian aircraft in Iranian airspace and surrounding regions affected by military activity, missile launches, interceptions, and air defense operations. A separate EASA bulletin covering Iran, valid through March 31, describes a high risk to civil flights at all altitudes within the Tehran flight information region. The consequences reach far beyond the Middle East. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, most Western airlines have been unable to use Russian airspace. With Iranian airspace now considered unsafe for normal commercial transit, the map for long-haul traffic between Europe and Asia has become extremely tight. Reuters mapping of global flight paths shows airlines diverting north via the Caucasus or taking longer southern routes through the eastern Mediterranean and the Arabian Peninsula. Many passengers traveling between Europe and Asia still transit through Gulf hubs. However, airports across the region, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait, and Bahrain, have faced disruption and unstable schedules during the conflict. Central Asia sits just beyond that northern bypass. It is not replacing the Gulf as a passenger hub, and is not suddenly becoming the main bridge between Europe and Asia, but the region’s airspace is increasingly strategically valuable as the number of efficient alternatives shrinks. The war has made Central Asia more important as part of a wider arc stretching from Turkey and the Caucasus across the Caspian basin and onward toward South and East Asia. [caption id="attachment_45218" align="aligncenter" width="1290"] Live flight-tracking map (image taken at 840am EST) showing aircraft routes avoiding Iranian airspace during the crisis. Many flights between Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia are being diverted north over the Caspian Sea and across Central Asia instead of flying over Iran; source: Planes Live[/caption] Kazakhstan is the clearest example. Local airlines had already begun to adjust before the current escalation reached its present level. In January, The Times of Central Asia reported that Air Astana had rerouted flights to Sharm el-Sheikh, Dubai, Doha, and Medina to avoid Iranian airspace. After the conflict widened, Air Astana canceled flights to several Middle Eastern destinations following the closure of Iranian airspace and rising regional tensions. Kazakhstan also imposed a temporary ban on flights over or near the airspace of Iran, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. Uzbekistan also moved quickly. As early as October 2024, Kun.uz reported that Uzbekistan Airways was avoiding Iraqi airspace and western Iranian airspace on safety grounds. After the latest escalation, on March 4, Uzbekistan suspended flights to six Middle Eastern countries. The pattern is clear: Central Asian carriers are not immune to the crisis; they are already adjusting networks, schedules, and commercial risk, with the broader economic consequences of the conflict emerging across regional supply chains. However, the region’s aviation systems clearly now carry far greater strategic and economic importance than they did only a few years ago. On its...

Economic Cooperation

Tokayev’s U.S. Visit Advances Kazakhstan’s Economic Agenda

The visit of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the United States provided an opportunity for targeted negotiations with major international corporations and financial institutions, centered on long-term investment, production localization, and Kazakhstan’s integration into global value chains. One of the key outcomes was the signing of an investment agreement worth approximately $180 million between Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Mars, Incorporated. The company plans to build a pet food production plant in the city of Alatau. The project will focus on the deep processing of agricultural raw materials and the production of high-value-added goods. Mars CEO Poul Weihrauch noted that the Kazakhstan facility will serve as a base for expanding the company’s presence in Central Asia and neighboring regions. A separate round of negotiations focused on healthcare. During talks with Ashmore Group, discussions centered on a proposal to build an international clinic in partnership with Ashmore Healthcare International and Samruk-Kazyna Invest, with the involvement of the Mount Sinai Health System as the operator. The initiative aligns with Kazakhstan’s strategy to develop medical infrastructure and medical tourism, as well as the Open Investment Partnership program targeting high-tech sectors of the economy. Aviation was another major component of the visit. At a meeting with Boeing executives, Tokayev confirmed the interest of Kazakh carriers Air Astana, SCAT Airlines, and VietJet Qazaqstan in expanding cooperation. Air Astana expects to receive Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft in the second half of 2026, which could pave the way for the launch of direct flights between Kazakhstan and the U.S. SCAT, meanwhile, is considering both the acquisition of additional aircraft and the establishment of its first maintenance and repair center at Shymkent Airport in partnership with an American company. The visit concluded with negotiations involving the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). Its CEO, Ben Black, said Washington views Kazakhstan as a key partner in Eurasia. The discussions focused on projects in the mining sector and the development of transport and transit infrastructure critical for regional and interregional trade. According to the World Investment Report 2025 (UNCTAD), Kazakhstan overwhelmingly dominates foreign direct investment (FDI) in Central Asia. In 2024, Kazakhstan’s inward FDI stock stood at about $151 billion, far exceeding Turkmenistan (about $45 billion), Uzbekistan (about $17 billion), and Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (around $4 billion each). The negotiations in Washington point to Kazakhstan’s focus on building long-term institutional partnerships rather than pursuing isolated investment deals, a signal intended to reassure international investors about the stability and openness of the market. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Tokayev also took part in the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, where Kazakhstan signaled its willingness to contribute to Gaza’s reconstruction and broader stabilization efforts, including potential financial support and participation in peacekeeping initiatives. This article forms part of The Times of Central Asia’s special coverage of Central Asia’s expanding role in U.S. critical minerals security.