Kazakhstan undergoes FAA safety assessment ahead of potential direct flights to U.S.
Kazakhstan is undergoing a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) assessment as part of efforts to establish the necessary conditions for launching direct air services between Kazakhstan and the United States, the country’s Civil Aviation Committee said, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The FAA’s International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) is being conducted from September 21 to 25, 2026.
The assessment follows two years of work by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Committee, the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan and the country’s embassy in the United States to prepare the necessary conditions for direct flights.
Ahead of the assessment, Kazakh Vice Minister of Transport Talgat Lastayev met with the FAA experts who arrived in Kazakhstan. He welcomed the U.S. delegation, thanked the experts for their participation and wished them successful and productive work.
According to the Civil Aviation Committee, the sides discussed the upcoming assessment as well as further cooperation aimed at improving aviation safety and developing international air services between Kazakhstan and the United States.
The IASA focuses on Kazakhstan’s state safety oversight system and is designed to determine whether the country’s aviation authorities comply with applicable International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and recommended practices.
The assessment covers areas addressed under ICAO Annex 1, concerning personnel licensing; Annex 6, Part I, on international commercial air transport operations involving airplanes; and Annex 8, concerning aircraft airworthiness.
FAA experts will review Kazakhstan’s aviation legislation and subordinate regulations, as well as the country’s ability to conduct effective safety oversight in accordance with the eight critical elements of the ICAO state safety oversight system.
The 2026 assessment follows a preliminary technical review conducted in Kazakhstan from August 26 to 30, 2024. Cooperation between the Kazakhstani and U.S. sides continued following that review as Kazakhstan prepared for the current assessment.
The FAA expert team includes specialists in international aviation law, aviation personnel licensing, airworthiness and flight operations.
On September 24, the FAA team is scheduled to make a technical visit to Air Astana in Astana. The airline has applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for authorization to conduct commercial operations.
The purpose of the visit is to verify information obtained from the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan as part of the transparency process. The Civil Aviation Committee stressed that the visit does not constitute an inspection of Air Astana as an air operator certificate holder.
Following the completion of the IASA, the FAA will hold a final briefing with the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan and subsequently provide a written report covering the areas assessed.
The Civil Aviation Committee said the IASA is an important step toward further strengthening Kazakhstan’s state aviation safety oversight system and advancing efforts to establish direct air connectivity between Kazakhstan and the United States.
Earlier, Qazinform reported Kazakhstan’s Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Center had joined the International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI).