The bill "On Ratification of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of the United States on Air Communication" was submitted today to the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the country by the Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Beibut Atamkulov.

The agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of the United States on air traffic (hereinafter referred to as the Agreement) was signed on December 30, 2019 in pursuance of the instructions of Elbasy, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the implementation of the 73rd step of the Nation Plan - 100 concrete steps and the protocol of the Security Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The main purpose of the Agreement is to establish a legal framework for the opening of direct flights between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the United States.

The uniqueness of this Agreement lies in the fact that under it the parties can operate flights without restrictions on the number of airlines, destinations and frequencies, including with the 5th degree of "air freedom" for passenger transportation and with the 7th degree of "air freedom" » for cargo flights.

Domestic airlines Air Astana and SCAT plan to operate flights to the US. At the same time, the start of flights is associated with the purchase of long-haul B-787 Dreamliner aircraft, the purchase of which was postponed until 2025 due to the pandemic. In this regard, the opening of flights to the United States is planned by 2025.

Also, in accordance with the requirements of the American side, for Kazakh airlines to operate flights to the United States, Kazakh airlines, airports and aviation authorities must be certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (hereinafter - FAA).

Currently, relevant work is being carried out in this direction with the US aviation authorities. After the ratification of the Agreement, this work will be continued by Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan JSC. As a rule, certification takes about 2-3 years.