New flights to operate from Astana to European cities

By Azernews

By Kamila Aliyeva

Kazakhstan eyes opening of new air routes to a number of European countries.

New flights en route Astana-Vilnius, Almaty-Riga and Astana-Bucharest are planned to be launched in 2018.

This was reported by the Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Investment and Development of Kazakhstan.

The relevant agreements were reached during meetings held by the Civil Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan held within the framework of the 10th International Conference on Transport and Transit Potential "TransEurasia-2017", Kazinform reports with reference to the Committee.

The local airline company SCAT plans to open a new international flight on the route Astana-Vilnius in May 2018.

The airline "Air Baltic" of Latvia plans to open a new international flight on the route Riga-Almaty.

There are 92 air routes with the length of more than 84,000 kilometers over the territory of Kazakhstan while 73 air corridors pass on the border with neighboring countries. As many as 80 percent of the air transit traffic of foreign airlines over the territory of Kazakhstan pass through routes connecting Europe with South-East Asia as well as routes between South Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Kazakhstan has airports in Shimkent, Atbasar, Karaganda, Kyzyl-Orda, Balkhash, Burundai, Zaisan, Petropavlovsk, Semipalatinsk, Ust-kamenogorsk, Uralsk, Taldy-Kurgan, Kokshetau, Pavlodar, Zhezkazgan, Atyrau, Zhambyl, Zhairem, Ekibastuz, Almaty, Aktau, Kostanay, Aktyubinsk, Arkalyk, and Astana cities.

Kazakhstan's existing airlines are Air Astana, Air Company MEGA, Avia Jaynar, Bek Air, Berkut Air, Euro-Asia Air, Excellent Glide, Irtysh-Air, SCAT, Semeyavia, Zhetysu, and Zhezkazgan Air.