Air Astana facts for kids

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Air Astana
Air Astana A321-271NX in standard livery
Founded	29 August 2001; 23 years ago (2001-08-29)
Commenced operations	15 May 2002; 23 years ago (2002-05-15)
Hubs	Almaty International Airport Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport
Frequent-flyer program	Nomad Club
Subsidiaries	FlyArystan Air Astana Terminal Services [1]
Fleet size	60
Destinations	over 90
Headquarters	Almaty, Kazakhstan
Key people	Nurlan Zhakupov (Chairman) Peter Foster (CEO)
Employees	over 6500

Air Astana is a major airline from Kazakhstan. It is the country's main airline, also known as its flag carrier. The airline is based in Almaty.

Air Astana started flying on May 15, 2002. It was created by the Government of Kazakhstan and a company called BAE Systems. In February 2024, Air Astana shares became available on stock exchanges in Kazakhstan and London. It is the biggest airline in Central Asia and the Caucasus region. It flies many people within Kazakhstan and to nearby countries.

How Air Astana Started and Grew

Air Astana has been very successful since it began. Experts said it did better in its first ten years than almost any other new airline. It was first planned to fly only within Kazakhstan. But in 2001, BAE Systems agreed to help start the airline. This was at the request of Kazakhstan's President at the time, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Even with this help, some people in Kazakhstan were against the new airline. They saw it as a foreign company. But Air Astana still managed to start its flights.

Early Years: 2002-2019

Air Astana began flying on May 15, 2002. Its first president was Lloyd Paxton. The airline leased its first three Boeing 737 airplanes. In 2003, it added Fokker 50 and Boeing 757 planes. Air Astana made a profit in its first full year of flying.

When the old national airline, Air Kazakhstan, went out of business in 2004, Air Astana grew quickly. It started flying to major international cities. These included Dubai, Istanbul, Moscow, Beijing, Frankfurt, and London.

In 2005, Peter Foster became the airline's president. He helped set up long-term plans for the company. Since then, Air Astana has usually made a profit. It was even listed as one of the top 20 most profitable airlines in the world for several years.

In November 2016, Air Astana received its first Airbus A320neo plane. Until December 2016, it was the only airline from Kazakhstan allowed to fly to the European Union.

Air Astana was the official airline for big events in Kazakhstan. These included Expo 2017 and the 2017 Winter Universiade in Almaty. In 2017, it got its first Airbus A321neo. In 2018, it received its first Embraer E190-E2. This E2 plane had a special Snow leopard design. This was to help people notice the danger faced by these wild cats in Kazakhstan. Air Astana also gave money to help protect them.

In 2018, Air Astana opened a new center at Astana's airport. This center helps the airline do all its plane repairs and maintenance. Also in 2018, Air Astana decided to start a low-cost airline brand.

In 2019, Air Astana got its first Airbus A321LR planes. It was the first airline in its region to use this type of aircraft. Also in 2019, Air Astana became the first airline in Kazakhstan that could do major maintenance checks on its Airbus planes by itself.

Recent Times: 2020-Present

In 2020, many flights were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Air Astana canceled 95% of its flights for a few weeks. The CEO, Peter Foster, promised that all customers would get their rebookings or refunds. Air Astana slowly started its domestic flights again in May 2020. International flights resumed in June 2020.

In 2021, Air Astana received high safety ratings for preventing the spread of COVID-19 on its flights. It was the first airline from its region to get these awards.

In February and March 2022, Air Astana helped bring Kazakhstan citizens home from Ukraine. These flights went from Poland to Almaty and Astana. On March 11, 2022, Air Astana stopped all flights to, from, and over Russia. This was because of international rules and problems with insurance.

Air Astana signed a deal to lease three new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner planes. These large planes are expected to arrive starting in 2025.

In 2023, Air Astana opened a new Flight Training Centre at Astana International Airport. This center has a very realistic flight simulator. It is the first of its kind for Air Astana and in Kazakhstan. Also in 2023, Air Astana completed a major six-year maintenance check on one of its planes at its center in Astana.

The Air Astana Group had a record year in 2023. Its total earnings were about $900.6 million, which was 20.5% more than the year before. In February 2024, Air Astana completed its first public sale of shares. Its shares are now traded on stock exchanges in London, Astana, and Kazakhstan.

In 2024, the Air Astana Group carried 9 million passengers. This was almost one million more than in 2023. The company's earnings grew by 12.4% to US$1.308 million. Its profit was US$65.2 million.

Airline Operations

Air Astana flies to many places around the world. It offers regular flights and special charter flights. These flights connect cities within Kazakhstan, in nearby regions, and across the world.

Flights to Russia

In September 2002, Air Astana started flying to Moscow from Astana and Almaty. By 2014, it had many weekly flights to Moscow. Before the pandemic, the airline flew 54 times a week on 11 routes to Russia. These included flights to St Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Kazan, and Samara.

After a short stop during the pandemic, flights to Moscow and St Petersburg resumed. FlyArystan also started new routes to Moscow and Novosibirsk. However, on March 11, 2022, all flights to, from, and over Russia were stopped.

Flights to Central Asia and Caucasus

Air Astana has grown its network in Central Asia and the Caucasus. It flies to all the main cities in these regions.

The airline flies to Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Baku (Azerbaijan), Tbilisi (Georgia), and Dushanbe (Tajikistan). These flights go from both Almaty and Astana. After the pandemic, all these routes started again. FlyArystan also began flying to Kutaisi in Georgia.

Flights to China and Korea

Before the pandemic, Air Astana had daily flights to Beijing from Almaty and Astana. It also flew to Ürümqi in China. Since July 2020, passenger flights to Chengdu have restarted. The airline also has cargo flights to other places in China.

Flights to Seoul, Korea, which used to be daily, were reduced to once a week. This was due to travel rules in Korea. Flights between Almaty and Hong Kong have been stopped for now. As of May 2023, all flights to Beijing and Seoul are back to how they were before the pandemic.

Flying to Europe

From 2009 to 2014, Air Astana's international flights were affected by rules from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Union (EU). In 2009, most airlines from Kazakhstan were banned from flying to the EU. But Air Astana was allowed to continue. This was because of its good safety record.

In November 2012, the EU removed some limits on Air Astana's Boeing and Airbus planes. On April 10, 2014, all flight limits were lifted. This allowed Air Astana to plan new flights to Europe. It started more flights to Frankfurt and new services to Amsterdam and London. In April 2015, it began flying between Astana and Paris. All restrictions on its Embraer planes were removed in December 2015.

During the pandemic, Air Astana kept flying between Atyrau and Amsterdam. This helped transport important oil workers. Since July 2020, other EU flights have slowly restarted. As of May 2023, all flights to Frankfurt and Amsterdam are back to normal. As of June 2023, flights from Almaty to London and Aktau to London fly 5 times a week. Flights from Almaty to Heraklion fly 4 times a week.

Where Air Astana Flies

Air Astana offers flights for travel and cargo. It flies to places in Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Far East, the Middle East, India, and Europe.

The airline is adding more long-distance flights to South and East Asia. These include flights to Delhi, Seoul, Beijing, Bangkok, and Phuket. In late October 2024, a new flight from Almaty to Phu Quoc (Vietnam) started. Air Astana is also flying more to the Middle East. It has new flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This shows how much business and fun travel is growing between Kazakhstan and that region. The airline also started direct flights to Jeddah and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

From Europe, Air Astana flies from Astana to Frankfurt. It also flies from Atyrau to Amsterdam. There is a direct flight from Almaty to London. In August 2024, Air Astana made a deal with JAL (Japan Airlines). This helps people travel more easily between Kazakhstan and Japan.

Fun Travel Destinations

In March 2020, Air Astana had to stop flights to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. This was because of strict travel rules during COVID-19. In October 2020, some travel rules were lifted. The airline then restarted flights to Antalya (Turkey) and Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt). It also started flying to The Maldives and Colombo (Sri Lanka). These flights are called "lifestyle routes" because people stay longer at these places. They were added in March 2021.

Airline Partnerships

Air Astana works with other airlines through special agreements. These are called codeshare agreements. This means you can book a flight with Air Astana, but part of your journey might be on another airline.

Air Astana also has interline agreements with many other airlines. This allows passengers to travel on different airlines using one ticket.

Air Astana's Fleet of Aircraft

An Airbus A320neo at Frankfurt Airport

An Airbus A321neo at Dubai International Airport

A Boeing 767-300ER at Frankfurt Airport

Current Aircraft in Use

As of March 2025, Air Astana operates the following planes:

**Air Astana Group fleet**
Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers			Notes
Aircraft	In service	Orders	C	Y	Total	Notes
Airbus A320	15	—	—	180	180	All under FlyArystan brand.
Airbus A320neo	22	—	16	132	148	11 under FlyArystan brand.
Airbus A321-200	3	—	28	151	179
Airbus A321neo	5	—	28	151	179
Airbus A321neo	5	—	28	156	184
Airbus A321LR	11	—	16	150	166
Boeing 767-300ER	3	—	30	193	223	Includes the last passenger Boeing 767 ever built.
Boeing 787-9	—	3	TBA			Delivery is delayed
Embraer E190-300	1	—	12	96	108	To be phased out
Total	60	3

Past Aircraft Used

Air Astana used to fly these types of planes:

Aircraft	Introduced	Retired
Airbus A319-100	2008	2018
Boeing 737-700	2002	2007
Boeing 737-800	2002	2007
Boeing 757-200	2003	2020
Embraer E190-E2	2011	2024
Fokker 50	2004	2013

What It's Like to Fly with Air Astana

An Air Astana business class cabin

An Air Astana economy class cabin

Different Seating Classes

Air Astana offers two main types of service: Business Class and Economy Class. These are on all their planes. On their Airbus A321neo Long Range planes, they also have Economy Sleeper seats. All planes, except the Embraer E2s, have individual entertainment systems for passengers.

Frequent Flyer Program

The Nomad Club is Air Astana's program for frequent flyers. It has different levels: Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Blue. Members can also earn and use points with Lufthansa's Miles & More and Asiana Airlines' Asiana Club programs.

Notable Incidents

On November 11, 2018, Air Astana Flight 1388 had serious control problems after takeoff. This happened because control cables were put in wrong after maintenance. The plane, with six people on board, managed to land safely. However, the plane was too damaged to fly again. The pilots were praised for their bravery and received an award for preventing a worse accident.

Awards and Recognition

Air Astana has won many awards over the years for being a great airline:

SKYTRAX World Airline Awards, Best Airline in Central Asia and India: 2012-2021
SKYTRAX World Airline Awards, Best Airline in Central Asia and CIS: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
SKYTRAX World Airline Awards, 4 Star Airline, 2012–present
SKYTRAX World Airline Awards, Fly Arystan, Best Low-Cost Airline Central Asia and CIS: 2023, 2024, 2025
APEX Airline Rating, 5 Stars: 2018-2021, 2024, 2025
APEX Best Overall Airline in Central Asia Award, 2025
Travel Plus Gold Award for its Economy Class amenity kit, bedding collection, and infant kit: 2025
Pax International Readership Awards: 2019, 2020, 2024, 2025
Onboard Hospitality Awards: 2018, 2021, 2024, 2025
Air Transport World: Airline Market Leadership award, 2015
In 2015, Peter Foster, the CEO, received an award from the British government (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for his work in aviation in Kazakhstan.
Flight Global named Peter Foster its Airline Leader of the Year in July 2024.

Images for kids

Air Astana Logo
Air Astana A321-271NX in standard livery