Kazakhstan to Build Airports in Katon-Karagay and Zaysan Resort Areas

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport has chosen sites to construct new airports in the resort areas of Katon-Karagay and Zaysan in the country’s east. Katon-Karagay is Kazakhstan's largest national park, located in the picturesque region of Southern Altai, near the borders with Russia and China. One new airport will be built in the Katon-Karagay National Park near the village of Soldatovo, 38 kilometers from the village of Katon-Karagay. Another airport will be constructed at a former military airfield 25 kilometers from the town of Zaysan. One of the most beautiful lakes in Kazakhstan, Zaysan is a vast freshwater lake with lots of aquatic diversity. It is about 100 kilometers long, 30 kilometers wide, and 8 meters deep. Lake Zaysan is 239 kilometers from Ust-Kamenogorsk, the largest city in eastern Kazakhstan, which is currently home to the closest airport for both resort areas. The new airports will have 2,200-meter-long runways for short-haul planes, providing air service from the capital, Astana, and Almaty. Plans are in place to extend the runways in the future, which will allow the reception of large aircraft such as Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. According to Transport Minister Marat Karabayev, construction of the airports will begin in 2025.