Air Astana doubles passenger traffic on China routes

Image: Air Astana

In 2025, the Air Astana Group carried over 250,000 passengers on flights between Kazakhstan and China—nearly doubling the previous year’s figures, the company said in a statement.

On March 29, Air Astana launched a new service from Almaty to Shanghai, marking the carrier’s sixth destination in China. This adds to its existing network of Beijing, Guangzhou, Sanya, Urumqi, and Yining. The new route operates three times a week using extended-range Airbus A321LR narrowbody jets.

“The launch of flights to Shanghai is a major milestone in our network development and reflects the strengthening ties between Kazakhstan and China. We are seeing steady and growing demand from both business and leisure travelers, further bolstered by the visa-free regime,”

noted Ibrahim Canliel, CEO of Air Astana Group.

Kazakhstan’s flag carrier intends to further expand its presence in the Chinese market. Starting June 2, the airline will launch twice-weekly flights to Guangzhou from the country’s capital Astana, also operated by Airbus A321LR. Additionally, the summer schedule will see increased frequencies from both Almaty and Astana to Beijing, as well as more flights from Almaty to Urumqi. Meanwhile, the group’s low-cost subsidiary, FlyArystan, has increased its Almaty–Yining service from three to four flights per week for the summer season.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: Air Astana adds biometric authentication to mobile app.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: Air Astana to part ways with its major foreign shareholder.

CentralAsia+ Aero earlier reported: Air Astana enhances crew utilization efficiency via digital tools.