Kazakhstan announces expansion of international flight network

:: CentralAsia+ Aero

Kazakhstan’s aviation authorities have released a list of new international routes to be launched by local and foreign carriers during the upcoming summer schedule.

According to the Ministry of Transport of the Central Asian nation, the country’s largest carrier, the Air Astana Group, will introduce the highest number of new destinations. Its schedule features four new routes to China: the parent company, Air Astana, will launch flights from Almaty to Shanghai (starting March 29) and from Astana to Guangzhou (starting June 2). Meanwhile, its low-cost subsidiary, FlyArystan, plans to launch flights from Almaty to Xi’an and from Aktau to Urumqi in June.

Additionally, Air Astana will begin operating several seasonal leisure routes this summer: Larnaca, Cyprus (from Almaty and Astana from early June to early September), Salalah (Oman, starting March 9), and Dalaman (Turkey, during the spring-summer season). The Ministry of Transport also reported that the possibility of launching an Almaty–Tokyo (Japan) route in 2026 is currently being finalized.

FlyArystan further plans to launch services from Almaty to Samarkand (Uzbekistan, starting March 17) and to Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).

SCAT Airlines will open a series of flights from its home base in Shymkent to the Russian cities of Novosibirsk (starting May 19) and St. Petersburg (starting June 1), as well as to Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan, starting March 29) and Tel Aviv (Israel, starting June 9).

The summer season will also see the entry of several new foreign carriers into the Kazakhstani market. Poland’s LOT is launching an Almaty–Warsaw route on May 31. A new subsidiary of the UAE-based Air Arabia in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, plans to operate flights to Almaty, while Royal Jordanian is considering the launch of an Almaty–Amman service.

In 2025, Kazakhstan had air connection with 30 countries across 135 routes.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: Air Astana bracing for GTF engine issues through 2028.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: Lufthansa to resume flights to Kazakhstan in late March.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: Kazakhstan’s LCC FlyArystan taps Wizz Air veteran as new president.