Due to the current situation in the Middle East and the heightened threat level to civil aviation safety, the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan has imposed a complete ban on flights over, within, and in the vicinity of the airspace of Iran, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon until further notice.

This directive applies to all scheduled and non-scheduled passenger, cargo, and technical flights operated by Kazakh air carriers.

Accordingly, on 28 February, the following changes were made to the flight schedules of Air Astana and FlyArystan:

·       Flights KC263 Almaty–Medina, KC897 Almaty–Dubai, KC653 Almaty–Doha, and KC205 and KC207 Astana–Dubai returned to their departure airports;

·       Flight KC899 Almaty–Dubai was diverted to Delhi;

·       FlyArystan flight FS7617 Aktau–Dubai diverted to an alternate airport;

·       All other flights to the Middle East scheduled for 28 February were cancelled.

There are no Middle East-bound flights in the schedule of SCAT Airlines for 28 February and 1 March.

According to information received from representatives of foreign airlines (Qatar Airways, Air Arabia, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Flydubai, Jazeera Airways, Air Cairo, Red Sea Airlines), an action plan is being developed jointly with the airlines’ head offices and tour operators.

Schedule changes have also been observed among Iranian airlines. For example, Qeshm Air will delay its Middle East-bound flights on 28 February, while Pars Air has no scheduled flights from 28 February through 3 March.

Airlines and airports are conducting information and awareness campaigns to ensure passengers are promptly informed of all schedule changes. Notifications are being sent via SMS and email distribution lists, push notifications in mobile applications, official websites and social media platforms, as well as through call centers and information desks.

To assist passengers, a 24/7 call center will operate under the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan at the following numbers:
+7 7172 79 82 13; +7 7172 79 82 14; +7 7172 79 82 15.

For information regarding flight status, passengers are advised to contact:

·       Air Astana: +7 727 244 44 77, +7 7172 58 44 77, +7 702 702 44 77;

·       FlyArystan: +7 727 331 1010 (WhatsApp: +7 702 702 0227);

·       SCAT Airlines: +7 7252 99 88 80;

·       Qazaq Air: +7 727 356 14 14;

·       Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport: +7 7172 702 999;

·       Almaty International Airport: +7 727 228 00 19.

Passengers are strongly advised to check the current status of their flights in advance on the official websites of their respective airlines.