Civil Aviation Committee provides updates on development of aviation and aircraft fleet

Domestic airlines are currently operating up to 600 flights per week to 32 countries and 115 international destinations. In the first eight months of 2023, they transported 8.7 million passengers, reflecting a 26 percent increase compared to the same period in 2022, as reported by Timur Tlegenov, the deputy chairman of the Civil Aviation Committee of the Kazakh Ministry of Transport.

“To boost the frequency of flights, we have developed a plan with airlines for expanding the aircraft fleet. To date, 96 aircraft are in operation for regular and commercial flight with Kazakh airlines. A total of 14 airplanes were added to our fleet last year. This year, there are plans to purchase 13 aircraft. Of these, around six or seven have been already delivered, with about six more expected to arrive by the end of the year. Overall, 26 more aircraft are expected by 2025. The total number of aircraft will be increased to 131,” Tlegenov said.

The country is actively modernizing and reconstructing its airports. The largest ones in megacities are becoming aviation transit hubs, serving a large flow of passengers, according to experts. Construction of a new passenger terminal in the city of Almaty is well underway. The project is planned to be commissioned in 2024. Additionally, the issue of developing the capital’s airport is presently being worked out. According to forecasts from the Civil Aviation Committee, in a couple of years, it is expected to double its annual passenger capacity, accommodating up to 10 million people.

“Prior to the pandemic, the number of transit passengers in Kazakhstan reached up to one million people, primarily driven by travelers coming from India and China to European countries via Astana and Almaty. Currently, we are gradually increasing transit passenger traffic. We are expanding both the number of flights and routes with China, and there is an additional increase in flights from India,” Tlegenov added.