Showing posts with label Air Astana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Air Astana. Show all posts

06 February, 2023

Air Astana restarts flights to Beijing.....

Beijing. Ancient or Modern, Take Your Pick.


Air Astana will resume regular flights to Beijing from Almaty and Astana on Airbus A321 LR.


From 18th March, flights from Astana to Beijing will resume with a frequency of 2 flights per week on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with a further increase in frequency in the summer. The flights will be carried out on A321LR airliners.

Besides, from 2nd March, the airline will increase the frequency of flights from Almaty to Beijing to 4 times a week and plans to increase the frequency to daily flights in the summer season. Airbus A321LR and Airbus A321neo aircraft will be used on the air line between Almaty and Beijing.

Adel Dauletbek, Vice President for Marketing and Sales of Air Astana: "With the beginning of summer navigation, the airline is gradually increasing its cargo capacity in China to meet the growing demand in the country with the largest economy and population. Our passengers have the opportunity to travel on comfortable Airbus A321 LR and A321neo aircraft. We are confident that these flights will be in demand by passengers who are heading to China for business, tourism and other purposes."

Please note that Air Astana's new product Economy Sleeper - similar to the sky couch -  a row of three reserved economy class seats, is available on flights between Beijing and Almaty.  Economy Sleeper passengers will enjoy more personal space and privacy in the dedicated and partitioned section in the front of the economy class cabin. With a guaranteed row of three economy class seats for each guest, you will be able to relax with new heights of comfort, all for just a little bit more than a full economy class fare. And when the time comes to sleep, the row of seats is transformed with a mattress layer and a luxurious duvet and pillow set, ensuring a sound night’s sleep. Guests will enjoy either KCTV, Air Astana’s personal inflight entertainment iPad, or integrated personal in-flight entertainment programme featuring the latest movies and an extensive back catalogue of music and games.

Other benefits of Economy Sleeper include:

  • Access to a Business Class lounge
  • 2PC*23 kg of check-in baggage
  • Priority check-in, boarding, and disembarkation
  • Pre-assigned seating
  • Nomad Club accrual of 125% flight points from ticketed point mileage
  • Business Class amenity kit
  • Fully changeable and refundable ticket

12 November, 2022

Three new Boeing 787-9 aircraft for Air Astana

Three new Boeing 787-9 aircraft on lease from Air Lease Corporation for Air Astana

Photo Air Astana



                      Air Lease Corporation has agreed on the long-term lease placements on three new Boeing 787-9 aircraft with Air Astana, the national carrier of Kazakhstan.  

The leasing giant has said these aircraft are scheduled to deliver to Air Astana beginning in early 2025 through spring 2026 from its existing order book with Boeing. 

“We are pleased to announce this lease placement for three new Boeing 787-9 aircraft with Air Astana today,” said Steven Udvar-Házy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporation.  “These three ALC Dreamliner aircraft will greatly enhance Air Astana’s long-range capabilities and passenger comfort as the airline expands international routes from Kazakhstan.”

767 and 787 for Air Astana
“ALC is honoured to announce this lease placement with the longtime customer, Air Astana, and be a part of the airline’s fleet modernization program by adding three highly efficient new Boeing 787-9 aircraft to Air Astana’s fleet,” added Alex Khatibi, Executive Vice President of Air Lease Corporation. 

“The Boeing 787-9 is an important aircraft to Air Astana’s fleet modernization as we expand our routes and focus on passenger experience,” said Peter Foster, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Astana.  “The Dreamliner offers fuel efficiency and range flexibility that will greatly add to our current fleet operations.”







12 October, 2022

The Central Asian Air Astana now has powerful international ticketing and revenue-generating capabilities to enter new markets using WorldTicket's distribution technology

The Central Asian Air Astana now has powerful international ticketing and revenue-generating capabilities to enter new markets using WorldTicket's distribution technology


                                  Air Astana, the national carrier of Kazakhstan, has partnered with WorldTicket to increase its international coverage into over 190 markets. WorldTicket (W2) is a travel distribution technology company that helps airlines efficiently grow their global sales reach and will provide Air Astana with global ticketing and GDS distribution solutions to help the carrier scale its international presence.


Air Astana is restoring its international flight network to pre-pandemic levels and plans to add 24 new aircraft to its fleet. WorldTicket will support the carrier's expansion plans with connectivity into key European cities, smaller markets, and underserved regions.

"As markets reopen and we resume international flights and regain 2019 demand levels, our partnership with WorldTicket will help us expand to new destinations," said Adel Dauletbek, Vice-President Marketing and Sales of Air Astana. "Working with WorldTicket allows us to grow our passenger base, access a wider array of travel options for customers, and generate additional revenue."

Immediate access to an expansive distribution network of airlines and agents

23 September, 2022

The best airline in Central Asia and the CIS in the Skytrax awards is.............

The best airline in Central Asia and the CIS



For the 10th time, Air Astana was awarded the prestigious Skytrax award, but this time in the nomination "Best Airline in Central Asia and the CIS" and also won for the first time in the nomination "Best Service in Central Asia and the CIS". The honorary award ceremony took place in London on 23rd September.

Air Astana said, "We thank our passengers for their support!"




25 August, 2022

Air Astana marks 20 years of flying to Dubai


Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s award-winning flag carrier, was launched in May 2002 with Dubai being amongst its earliest international destinations. Initial services from Almaty to Dubai started in August 2002 with twice-weekly flights and followed with additional service from Nur-Sultan commenced in 2007.

The number of passengers travelling on flights between Kazakhstan and Dubai has dramatically increased over the past 20 years, with less than 7,000 carried in 2002 and over 101,000 already carried during the first half of 2022. A similar jump can be observed in cargo volumes, with 54,000kg being uplifted in 2002 and over 730,000kg during the first half of 2022. Flights to Dubai are currently operated by state-of-the-art Airbus A321LR aircraft which are configured with 16 Business class seats and 150 Economy class seats.

“The UAE offers a range of leisure attractions and business opportunities, and Dubai has proven to be a very popular destination for Kazakhstan travellers over the past 20 years,” said Adel Dauletbek, Vice-President, Marketing and Sales Air Astana. “Passenger traffic from Almaty and Nur-Sultan continues to grow strongly, and we plan to restore pre-pandemic frequencies from both cities later this year for the winter season.”

In coming winter season flight schedules to and from Dubai will be improved for passenger convenience, with departures from Almaty and Nur-Sultan in the morning and arrival at lunchtime, with the return departure from Dubai just after lunch and arrival back in Kazakhstan in the evening. Frequencies are scheduled to peak at 17 per week by the end of 2022, with ten services per week from Almaty and seven from Nur-Sultan.

Kazakhstan has re-established a visa-free regime for citizens of 57 countries, including the UAE, for up to 30 days to enter-exit and stay. Passengers arriving to Kazakhstan from foreign countries are not required to provide a certificate of vaccination or a PCR certificate with a negative test result for COVID-19.







23 June, 2022

Special Offer for Almaty Marathon, 25 September 2022


Air Astana is offering special discounts to people wishing to participate in the Almaty Marathon on 25 September 2022. 

This is your chance to stride out across Central Asia with Air Astana and participate in one of the few international marathons that are charitable.

For all registered participants from across the world Air Astana offers 15% ticket discount from available fare in both business and economy class for domestic and international flights to Almaty. 

The competition program includes:

Marathon (42 km 195 m) – US$22 (10,000 KZT);
Team relay race Ekiden (42 km 195 m) – US$332 (150,000 KZT) per team;
Half Marathon (21 km) – US$20 (9,000 KZT);
the Nordic walking (10 km) – US$18 (8,000 KZT);
10 km race – US$18 (8,000 KZT);

The route runs past many of the key city landmarks including the First President's Park, Almaty Financial District and Central Stadium. 





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16 June, 2022

Air Astana receives APEX Award


The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), together with the top-rated travel app Triplt, honoured Air Astana with an award in the category ‘Best Entertainment System and Inflight Food & Beverage in Central Asia' at a ceremony held in Dublin on 8th June 2022.

The Triplt App collected independent passenger feedback from more than one million flights on 600 airlines worldwide. Passengers rated carriers on a one-to-five star scale covering five parameters: seat comfort, in-flight service, food and beverages, entertainment system and wi-fi service.

Yelena Obukhova, Vice President of Inflight Service of Air Astana: "Receiving this prestigious APEX award is a testimony to Ai Astana’s commitment to continuous service improvement and development. The independence of passenger assessments adds value to the award and we are grateful for their positive feedback”.

APEX is a certified international non-profit organization dedicated to exploring and improving the quality of air transport services. Air Astana was previously awarded the APEX 5-Star Award in the Major Airline category three times between 2018 and 2020.




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14 May, 2022

Air Astana

Today Air Astana is a group of companies operating flights on 44 routes. The fleet consists of 37 aircraft, the average age of which is only 4 years. Air Astana is not only modern aircraft and professional crews but also the stories of your travels!



13 February, 2022

Air Astana Increases Passenger Numbers by 79% in 2021


Air Astana, the leading airline in Central Asia, has released details of its latest operational results for last year.

The Air Astana Group carried 6.617 million passengers, an increase of 79% year-on-year:
Air Astana carried 3.555 million passengers, an increase of 59%;
FlyArystan, the Group’s low-cost subsidiary, carried 3.062 million passengers, an increase of 109%.
The Air Astana Group carried 12,072 tons of cargo on scheduled flights and 6,700 tons on charter flights, which were respectively 30% and 45% above 2020 figures.
Air Astana opened new international flights to Batumi (Georgia), Podgorica (Montenegro), Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Phuket (Thailand), as well as resuming services to several destinations such as Male, London, Delhi, Tbilisi (Georgia) and Dushanbe (Tajikistan).
During the year, FlyArystan inaugurated services to Kutaisi (Georgia) from three cities in Kazakhstan and launched 10 new domestic routes.
The Company added three Airbus A321LR and one Airbus A320 aircraft to its fleet.
Air Astana also successfully completed IOSA’s eighth safety audit and conducted C-Check on an Airbus A321 for the first time at its technical base in Nur-Sultan.
Commenting on the results, Peter Foster, President and CEO stated:  “These figures represent a strong recovery from the Covid 19-affected 2020. Total carriage of more than 6.6 million customers is the highest ever recorded in the history of the airline. In large part this was driven by the strong performance of FlyArystan, which in only its second full year of operation carried almost as many customers as Air Astana, driven by low fares, mainly on routes within Kazakhstan, as a result of its ultra-competitive cost structure. FlyArystan is therefore on track to fulfill its core mission of increasing mobility by air across the country for Kazakhstan’s citizens”.

For further information, please visit www.airastana.com





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12 January, 2022

Air Astana restarting flights from Almaty


Air Astana has offered a brief updating on the resumption of flights from Almaty following the days of unrest and violence on the streets of Kazakhstan.

The airline will be gradually restarted from 13 January in addition to fully reestablished flights to/from Nur Sultan.

A limited and revised schedule has been published on its website, along with details of various repatriation flights. Latest updates on our flights (airastana.com)

Passengers with reservations will be contacted by Air Astana,  they advise that if your flight is scheduled to depart between now and 19 January 2022, you may either rebook your tickets free of charge for any date until 28 February 2022 or get a full refund.

According to local media, the Kazakhstan authorities have arrested nearly 1700 people in the last 24 hours or so because of the unrest that erupted across the country over the last ten days. This takes the total to around 12,000 detained for alleged involvement. 

Heavily armed soldiers lead by Russian forces as part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are currently guarding various key sites including airports, military sites, power plants in and around Almaty and other locations around the country. 


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30 December, 2021

Air Astana has launched flights to Colombo

Air Astana has launched flights to Colombo. Spend your winter holidays enjoying the surf of the Indian Ocean and the pristine nature of the tropics.


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28 December, 2021

C-Check for Air Astana Airbus A321.

In Nur-Sultan Air Astana engineers performed a C-Check on an Airbus A321. This is a deep and extensive safety check of individual systems and components on the aircraft which is carried out every 2-3 years, depending on the number of hours flown. 




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14 October, 2021

Air Astana to start Almaty - Phuket service from the end of October


Air Astana, the flag carrier of Kazakhstan has confirmed it will be launching flights from its home base of Almaty to the holiday island of Phuket from the end of this month. 
 

The carrier will operate an Airbus A321LR on the route which will fly twice a week on Thursday and Sunday.  This super advanced jet is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1133G engines and is configured with 16 Business class seats and 150 Economy class seats. 



Holidays on this island will find the key to the heart of any traveller - there are magnificent white beaches, hotels for every budget and delicious local cuisine, as well as the famous Thai massage. The variety of leisure activities, numerous sports and unique flora and fauna will enchant even the most sophisticated adventurer. All this makes Phuket one of the top holiday destinations this season.

Oh, Thailand, we missed you...

Read through Air Astana's travel notes on Phuket and Bangkok to get you in the mood for exploring these key holiday destinations. 


24 August, 2021

Air Astana to restart London route next month



Air Astana will be resuming its twice-weekly services to London from Nur-Sultan starting from 18 September on Airbus A321Neo LR aircraft, the airline has confirmed.
 
The route will once again form an important link between the UK and Kazakhstan and the news has been welcomed by business executives and dignitaries in both countries.

 The Airbus A321neo LR is a long-range version of A321neo, with increased maximum take-off weight and associated design modifications. The aircraft is configured with 16 Business class seats and 150 Economy class seats and is highly rated for its comfort and cabin atmosphere. The super advanced jet is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1133G engines with supreme operational performance.


Air Astana delivers Vero Cell vaccine to Kazakhstan



Air Astana delivered a total of 1 million doses of Sinonopharm’s Vero Cell vaccine to Kazakhstan on 10th and 11th August 2021, with two Boeing 767 freighter flights from Beijing to Almaty operating for SK-Pharmacia under an agreement with the Kazakhstan Ministry of Health. The medical cargo weighed a total of 20 tons and was transported in thermal containers, which maintain temperatures be between 2°C to 8°C for up to 72 hours.

“Air Astana is proud to support the Kazakhstan Ministry of Health in their efforts to provide citizens with a wide choice of vaccines against coronavirus infection. We hope that mass vaccination in Kazakhstan will soon result in collective immunity and lead to a significant decrease of disease in the country,” said Zhanna Shayahmetova, Head of Air Astana Cargo.

Since early 2020, Air Astana has transported more than 1,700 tons of medical cargo to help combat the global coronavirus pandemic.  Cargo has included medicines, oxygen concentrators, ventilators and personal protective equipment.

5-Star Rating


Air Astana was recently amongst a select group of leading global carriers that received the highest level 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by Skytrax.

The Skytrax COVID-19 Airline Safety Audit of Air Astana was conducted during May-June 2021 and assessed all relevant health and hygiene measures introduced in response to the pandemic, with evaluation of frontline facilities and service systems at Nur-Sultan and Almaty.                   

The detailed evaluation process covered cleaning and disinfection procedures,  the standards and usage conformity by staff wearing personal protective equipment, COVID-19 signage and information, the management of social distancing and hand sanitiser facilities and finally the caring, but precise control of passenger flows and face mask usage both within the airport and during the boarding process and onboard.

“Since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Air Astana has taken every possible step to protect the health and well-being of its passengers,” said Peter Foster, President and CEO of Air Astana. “I’m naturally delighted that our dedication to performing these critical protective procedures at the highest level have resulted in today’s certification from Skytrax, which I’m sure will give extra confidence to the travelling public in Kazakhstan.”



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31 May, 2021

More new routes for Air Astana - the flagship of Kazakhstani aviation.

Air Astana is the national air carrier and the flagship of Kazakhstani aviation and is further cementing its place at the top of aviation in the region with a number of new routes and services. Adding to the growing list of destinations for the carrier are Amsterdam, Samarkand and Podgorica.



Hello Amsterdam

From 3rd June the impressive carrier will resume direct flights from Atyrau in western Kazakhstan to Amsterdam. Scheduled to operate once a week on a Thursday.

The resumed service will operate once a week on a Thursday, Air Astana will deploy an Airbus A321 aircraft on the route.  The aircraft 175+ seat aircraft will depart Atyrau at 05:40 with the arrival time in Amsterdam set to be 07:50 local. The return is scheduled to leave Amsterdam at 11:50, with an expected arrival time of 19:40 in Atyrau. 

This service between Atyrau and Amsterdam supplements the existing flight on Wednesdays between Atyrau to Frankfurt, allowing Air Astana passengers the possibility of connecting with partner airlines to routes across Europe and North America.


More new routes......

13 April, 2021

Air Astana gets new Airbus A321-200neoLR

Photo Air Astana

The aircraft leasing specialists, Air Lease Corporation have confirmed the delivery of one new Airbus A321-200neo LR aircraft on long-term lease to Air Astana.  

 This super advanced jet is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1133G engines and is the fifth new A321-200neo LR to deliver to Air Astana from ALC’s order book with Airbus. In addition to the five A321-200neo LRs, Air Astana also has one A320-200, two A320-200neos and one A321-200neo on long-term lease from ALC. 

“ALC is pleased to deliver this fifth A321-200neo LR aircraft to Air Astana today,” said Steven F. Udvar-Házy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporation.  “Our team has been thrilled to assist the airline with their long-term fleet modernization program.” 

 The Airbus A321neo LR is a long-range version of A321neo, with increased maximum take-off weight and associated design modifications. The aircraft is configured with 16 Business class seats and 150 Economy class seats. 

Photo Air Astana

 

12 April, 2020

Air Astana operating repatriation flights

In light of the entry restrictions that have been introduced by the Kazakhstan authorities, Air Astana and FlyArystan have temporarily suspended all international passenger flights to and from Almaty and Nur-Sultan. All domestic services have been suspended until April 30th. 

However,  there are a limited number of repatriation and special flights in operation during the period of the State of Emergency.

6 – 19 April
International Flights for Kazakhstani citizens
Days of ServiceFlight No.Origin Destination  
13,14,15,16 AprilKC 904AmsterdamAtyrau
15 AprilKC 906AmsterdamUralsk
14 AprilKC 1374LondonPetropavlovsk
International Flights for non-Kazakhstan residents
Days of ServiceFlight No.Origin Destination  
14,15,16 AprilKC 903AtyrauAmsterdam
15 AprilKC 905UralskAmsterdam
13 AprilKC 1373AlmatyLondon (via Nur-Sultan)
13 AprilKC 1373Nur-SultanLondon

31 March, 2020

Air Astana operating two more repatriation flights.

Most of Air Astana and FlyArystan’s scheduled flights are now being suspended until 15th April 2020 following the lockdown of Almaty and Nur-Sultan as a result of progressive government restrictions intended to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. International flights will now only be carried out for the purpose of repatriating the citizens of Kazakhstan and providing foreign citizens with the opportunity to leave the country.

Air Astana will operate the following International Repatriation Flight Schedule for Kazakh citizens wishing to be repatriated to Kazakhstan.  01 April KC937  Uralsk to Frankfurt and KC 938 back. 02 April KC 903 Atyrau - Amsterdam and KC 904 returning. 

All domestic services have been suspended until April 14th, with that date under review. 




02 February, 2020

Air Astana net profit up 461% in 2019

Kazakhstan’s Air Astana has recorded a net unaudited profit for 2019 of US$30.03 million, up from US$5.3 million in the previous year. The airline carried 5.058 million passengers, an increase of 17% over 2018, with total airline revenue up by 6% to US$893 million. Unit cost was lower at 5.5 US cents per Available Seat Kilometre. 

Commenting on the results, President and CEO Peter Foster stated that “passenger demand improved considerably during the year, driven by a significant increase in charter operations and by increased demand primarily on domestic routes, as a result of the successful launch of our Low-Cost Airline FlyArystan on 1st May 2019. Whilst yields have been affected by increased competition on international routes, reduced average domestic ticket prices and the lower value of the Kazakh Tenge, this was more than offset by increased demand and lower unit cost.” 

Looking forward to 2020, Foster stated that “FlyArystan continues to grow ahead of expectations, and certain structural changes, such as the move to Domodedovo Airport at Moscow in line with the comprehensive S7 code share, and replacement of the Boeing 757 fleet by Airbus 321 Long Range aircraft, enable us to be cautiously optimistic. However, the impact of the Coronavirus is a significant unknown.”  Air Astana operates to Beijing and Urumchi, both of which will operate with lower frequency in the event that restrictions on outbound group traffic from China remain in place for an extended period. 






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20 November, 2019

FlyArystan to order 30 737 max 8 aircraft..........maybe!

According to US planemaker Boeing, the Kazak carrier Air Astana intends to buy 30 737 Max 8 aircraft for its low-cost offshoot FlyArystan.

A letter of intent was signed at the Dubai Airshow, which if intent turns to an actual order would have a list value of $3.6 billion, but as everyone knows, no airline ever pays the full list price for any aircraft.

"Since its launch in May this year, FlyArystan has exceeded all expectations and it is clear that low-cost air travel has a great future in Kazakhstan and Central Asia," said Peter Foster, President and CEO of Air Astana. "Air Astana has had a strong relationship with Boeing ever since the airline started flying in 2002 with a pair of 737NGs. Today we operate both 757s and 767s and we believe that the MAX will provide a solid platform for the growth of FlyArystan throughout our region, once the aircraft has successfully returned to service".

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