Air Astana launched its inaugural service between Almaty to Astana on 15th May 2002 and has gone from strength to strength over the past 22 years. During this time, Air Astana has steadily built a reputation for award winning customer service, operational efficiency, high safety standards and consistent profitability without the support of shareholders or government funding. The Air Astana Group, comprising Air Astana, a full service carrier and FlyArystan, a low cost carrier, is currently the largest airline group in Central Asia and the Caucasus by fleet size and revenue.
The outstanding achievements over more than two decades culminated in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) of the Air Astana Group in February 2024, with successful listings on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange, Astana International Exchange and London Stock Exchange. This major corporate milestone came in the wake of continued financial success in 2023, with the group recording net profit of US$68.7 million on a turnover of US$1.175 million. The group paid over US$100 million in taxes in 2023 and almost US$7 million invested in staff development.
“We have much to celebrate as we mark 22 years in business. I am grateful to my over 6,000 colleagues and our millions of customers for their loyalty and support,” said Peter Foster, CEO of Air Astana Group.
Air Astana Group continued to grow the fleet over the past 12 months and currently operates a fleet of 51 Airbus, Boeing and Embraer aircraft. More deliveries are scheduled before the end of 2026, including the first of three widebody Boeing 787s to be deployed on new long-range services arriving in 2025.
During 2023, Air Astana and FlyArystan carried in total 8.1 million passengers, with the network expanding to over 90 international and domestic routes serving 63 destinations. Major international markets include destinations in Central Asia, China, Germany, India, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, UAE and UK.
In September 2023, Air Astana Group officially opened a new Flight Training Centre in Astana, which is certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and equipped with a full-flight simulator, together with emergency training simulators. On the engineering side, the airline successfully completed its first six-year C-Check on an Airbus aircraft.
Air Astana continues to place a high priority in delivering service excellence and was delighted to receive APEX Awards for “Best Onboard Service” and “Best Entertainment System” in the Central and South Asia region. The airline also received a Skytrax World Airline award for “Best Airline in Central Asia and the CIS” for the eleventh time since 2011.
The company places importance on social responsibility as well. In 2023, Air Astana initiated a travel grant program named “Zhas Kyran” for gifted children and also contributed to help flood-affected areas across several regions of Kazakhstan earlier this year.
