Given the region's high safety performance, the Civil Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan continues to work on expanding flight geography.
Domestic traffic volumes have been fully restored and have surpassed pre-pandemic levels (57 routes with 687 flights per week).
Resumed international flights to 30 countries on 108 routes, with a frequency of 477 flights per week.
In 2022, international flights with six countries (Turkmenistan, Egypt, Great Britain, Mongolia, Iran, and China) were resumed, and new routes to seven countries were opened on ten routes with a frequency of 25 flights per week: with Italy in the direction Almaty - Milan by NEOS airline, with Greece in the direction Almaty - Heraklion by Air Astana airline, with Vietnam in the directions Almaty - Nha Trang and Astana - Nha Trang by Vietjet Air airline, with Kuwait on the route Turkestan - Kuwait by Jazeera Airways airline, with Turkey on the route Almaty - Ankara and Astana - Ankara by AnadoluJet and Almaty - Ankara by Pegasus Airlines on the route Almaty - Mahe by Air Seychelles and to Russian cities from Almaty to Surgut and Tyumen, the flights from Astana to Saint-Petersburg by SCAT airline from Almaty to Ashkhabad by Turkmenhavaellary airline were restored.
Also, the «open skies» regime has been extended until December 26, 2027. (for a 5-year term).
Flights from Astana to Doha, from Aktau and Shymkent to Ankara, from Almaty and Aktau to Medina, from Astana to Baku and from Shymkent to Dushanbe are expected to open during the spring and summer navigation period of 2023; It is also planned to increase the number of flights from Astana, Almaty, Aktau, Turkestan and Atyrau to Istanbul, from Astana and Almaty to Antalya, from Almaty to Baku, Tbilisi, Phuket and Male' and to open flights to Pakistan from Almaty to Karachi and Lahore to increase the number of flights to India via Almaty - Delhi, to China via Almaty - Chengdu, to the UK via Almaty - London, Almaty to Bodrum, Batumi, Heraklion, Podgorica and from Astana to Tbilisi and Podgorica, resumption of flights via Astana - Bishkek, Aktau - Yerevan, Almaty - Samarkand, Shymkent - Kutaisi is expected.
Air Asia X, a Malaysian low-cost carrier, plans to launch flights from Kuala Lumpur to Almaty in the spring-summer season of 2023, while Thai Air Asia plans to launch flights from Bangkok to Almaty.
At the same time, Air Asia Aviation Group is considering further flights to Moscow (Russia), Istanbul (Turkey), Paris (France), London (UK), and Frankfurt (Germany), as well as a fifth degree of "air freedom" for flights to Almaty and Astana.
Qeshm Air intends to launch flights between Almaty and Tokyo using a fifth degree of "air freedom".
In the medium term, Air Astana is also considering two scheduled weekly flights to Israel on the route Almaty-Tel Aviv.