Almaty needs one more airport - Air Astana President Peter Foster

15:26, 10 January 2011

ASTANA. January 10. KAZINFORM /Gulnara Zhandagulova/ President of Air Astana National Air Operator Peter Foster considers that Almaty needs one more airport which will allow solving the problems with the departure and landing of aircrafts in bad weather conditions.

"We all know this city, its airport and we are aware of this unsolvable problem. The only solution of it is construction of an alternative airport", P. Foster said it at a sitting of the board of the Ministry of Transport and Communications in Astana today.

According to him, the issue of building a new airport to the north from Almaty, along the Kapshagay highway, was raised 10 years ago. "Probably it is high time to return to these plans", P. Foster stressed.

As the head of the National Air Operator noted, weather conditions always negatively impacted the work of the airport which led to delay in flights to Almaty in winter period - from December to February. "Within the past four days all flights from and to Almaty have been disrupted due to fog. Neither airport nor air companies must be blamed for", P. Foster highlighted.

"To date Air Astana does not feel lack in aircrafts and this year the Company plans to deliver three Embraer-190 aircrafts and one Boeing-757 to Kazakhstan", he added.

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