AnadoluJet launches direct flights to Astana from Ankara

By News Center

AnadoluJet, a brand of Turkish Airlines (THY), made its first direct flight from Ankara's Esenboga Airport to the Kazakh capital of Astana.

AnadoluJet's B-737 plane carrying 140 passengers on its first flight on the Ankara-Astana route landed at the Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport at 0715 local time.

The ceremony for the first flight was held at the airport, and attendees included the ambassador of Turkiye to Astana, Ufuk Ekici, the AnadoluJet marketing sales manager, Ahmet Yildiz, Kazakhstan's chairman of the civil aviation committee Talgat Lastayev, and the head of the Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport, Daulet Hamzin, as well as other officials and media.

The official part was followed by a spectacular concert of Kazakh folk music. Ribbon and cake were also cut to mark the start of the first flight.

In his statement after the ceremony, Ahmet Y?ld?z said direct flights along the route will strengthen Turkish-Kazakh relations both economically and culturally, adding that 140 passengers flew in the first flight.

"We have 160 passengers on the way back. We are actually building an aerial bridge. The easier the bridges are, the more people can go back and forth. Today, we built our bridge between Ankara and Astana. This bridge will always remain and people will travel using it. This is really something to be proud of. It's especially nice that it's the capital city," Yildiz said.

AnadoluJet will operate twice a week on the Ankara-Astana route in the first phase.