Air Astana: Part of Kazakhstan’s greater story on the global stage

Mr. Canliel, it has been 100 days since you took over as Chief Executive Officer of Air Astana Group. What do you see as the company’s main development priorities?

According to Skytrax, Air Astana has been named the best airline in the CIS for 14 consecutive years. We currently rank 36th globally, ahead of our regional competitors, including airlines from Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. We are proud to be the leader of the region both in numbers and as the benchmark setting the standards. However, we cannot afford to be complacent. We therefore intend not only to maintain our leadership, but also to continue growing and raising standards and serving as the region’s flagship carrier. Our goal is to establish Kazakhstan as Central Asia’s leading aviation hub.

During your meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, you were given the ambitious task of transforming Air Astana into a global airline that would contribute to Kazakhstan’s transit leadership. What other key areas have been discussed during your meeting with the President?

For me, the meeting with the President represented, first and foremost, a major responsibility for our airline that has been given an important role in implementing the country’s strategy to develop its transport and transit potential.

The discussion with President Tokayev focused on the company’s operations, service standards, digitalization and the launch of new destinations, particularly direct flights to Tokyo and New York in addition to 40 routes we launched in 2025/2026.

I also reported on our on-time performance. Last month, the figure reached 88%, which was 12 percentage points higher than in June 2025. We also discussed plans to expand our route network, increase flight frequencies and develop transit traffic.

Fleet expansion was another major topic. We discussed agreements signed in Brussels in July this year, including a “25+25” deal for up to 50 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft, as well as a contract for the delivery of up to 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

The Airbus A320-family aircraft currently operated by Air Astana are among the latest-generation models and consume approximately 20% less fuel. This allows us to operate flights lasting up to nine hours. The Boeing 787 will mark the next stage in the development of our fleet. Combining superior passenger comfort, fuel efficiency and operational versatility, the aircraft will enable the efficient operation of routes of varying lengths across the network. These aircraft will be equipped with Wi-Fi, which will later also be introduced on our Airbus A321LR aircraft.

When will these aircraft arrive in Kazakhstan?

The number of aircraft we have ordered is almost equal to the number we currently operate. We expect to end this year with a fleet of 67 aircraft.

In other words, we have also placed orders for up to 65 additional aircraft. By 2029, the fleet is expected to grow to 83 aircraft, and by 2030, we aim to increase it to 86.

Aircraft production takes several years, so we are pleased that we concluded these agreements well in advance enabling us to grow. The newly ordered aircraft will begin arriving in 2031. At the same time, we will pursue our ambitious growth ambitions and will continue adding aircraft through operating leases in interim.

Which new routes does Air Astana plan to launch in the coming years?

We are situated at the crossroads of regions that are home to almost half of the world’s population. In Kazakhstan we are blessed with a unique location at the heart of Eurasia providing us with an unmatchable competitive advantage. We neighbor China, are in close vicinity of India, and the Gulf countries are also within close reach. Europe and Southeast Asia are similarly located within a convenient flying distance. And thanks to our location, we are able to serve all with narrow-bodied aircraft, an advantage our competitors cannot match.

We are further considering new routes to Europe, Asia, Africa and the Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia.

Before tensions escalated in the Middle East, we operated around 40 flights a week to Gulf countries. We adapted our route network by increasing frequencies to Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as to London and Frankfurt, and by launching a service to Larnaca. While many airlines were cancelling flights, we increased our capacity. Compared with last year, we expanded services to China by 91%, to India by 63%, and to Central Asian countries by more than 15%. Our operations in Asia grew by 63% last year and by a further 7% this year. In total, we launched 40 new routes in 2025 and 2026, including 15 this year.

Kazakhstan is actively developing its Open Skies regime. What opportunities does this create for Air Astana?

We see it as an excellent opportunity for further development as our ambitions extend well beyond Kazakhstan and Central Asia. We are interested in the development of an Open Skies regime to key growth markets and across the region. We are well equipped to compete with all airlines entering the Kazakh market. Moreover, we want to expand into other airlines’ markets and attract their passengers to Kazakhstan. We consider China and India, the largest nearby markets with enormous potential, to be particularly promising.

What plans does Air Astana have for developing domestic routes and domestic tourism?

The creation of FlyArystan was our strategic response to the white spot of low-cost airline operations in the region and untapped demand in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. As a result, Kazakhstan became the world’s fastest-growing domestic aviation market in 2023. Since the launch of FlyArystan, the mobility of Kazakhstan’s population has more than tripled, rising from 0.23 to 0.76 trips per resident per year. However, we view that it is still only half of the mobility that it should be. Greater domestic mobility also contributes to the continued development of domestic tourism.

This is reflected in the growing number of flights across the country to Aktau and, during the summer season, to Turkistan, Oskemen and Semey, which are popular tourist destinations. Air Astana also recently resumed flights from Astana to Kyzylorda and Shymkent, giving passengers a choice between two airlines.

What artificial intelligence-based solutions is Air Astana introducing?

Today, most of our internal processes are automated, including procurement and payments. We have also completely eliminated paper manuals for pilots. Instead of carrying a heavy bag filled with documents, they now use a single tablet. We use AI-based tools that make it possible to optimize flight routes in real time. This reduces fuel burn and flight time by approximately 3% and allows us to save around $12 million annually.

We recently introduced another AI system designed to allocate aircraft and crews more efficiently. During the peak season, it helped us optimize the pilots and cabin crew schedule by approximately 16%.

We have also invested in an AI assistant for our contact center. It now handles 84% of all inquiries independently, increasing operator productivity sixfold. Human operators deal only with the remaining 16% of the most complex requests.

Kazakhstan has recently entered the world’s top 20 countries for aviation safety. How airline attributes to that achievement?

Air Astana is committed to implementing and complying with the strictest international safety standards. We became the first airline in the world to pass the IATA Operational Safety Audit, known as IOSA, without a single finding. We were also the first airline in the CIS to voluntarily comply with these rigorous standards, examples of how we set benchmark.

Growth inevitably brings challenges, including fuel prices, competition and the need for major investment. How does Air Astana balance its ambitious development goals with the need to keep fares affordable?

Our unit costs are among the lowest in the world, both at Air Astana and FlyArystan.

This is due to several factors. First, we operate efficiently with high productivity. Our fleet consists of the most modern aircraft available, including the Airbus A320neo family, the A321 and, in the future, the Boeing 787. These aircraft consume up to 20% less fuel per passenger.

Second, we invest in digital transformation to make more efficient use of our workforce and fleet.

We have also invested in developing our own maintenance infrastructure. We built our own hangar in Astana, where line maintenance is carried out for the entire Airbus fleet. Since 2025, the facility has also handled all major scheduled maintenance checks, reducing our dependence on overseas maintenance centers.

We have also commissioned two flight simulators. Mandatory training that was previously conducted in Amsterdam, Dubai or Istanbul now takes place at our training center in Astana. At the same time, we continue to invest in our Ab-Initio pilot training program. A total of 303 pilots have already completed the program, including 93 who have since become captains.

Mr. Canliel, you have worked at Air Astana for more than 20 years. How do you see the airline’s future?

I have been fortunate to work across a range of functions, including commercial planning, sales, marketing, and revenue management and was privileged to take the helm for its IPO as CFO.

Based on our geographical location and our high efficiencies, we are ambitious for further growth and am confident that we are only at the beginning of the journey. In the future, Air Astana will become a driving force behind the development of transit traffic through Kazakhstan, attract more international tourists to the country and retain its status as one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines, while remaining part of Kazakhstan’s greater story on the global stage.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had met with Air Astana Chief Executive Officer Ibrahim Canliel to discuss the airline’s long-term development strategy.