Air Astana destined to become one of the largest Airbus A320neo Family operators in Central Asia and CIS

Air Astana, the flag carrier of Kazakhstan, is destined to become one of the largest A320neo Family operators in Central Asia and CIS over the next three years. The airline became the first operator of this type in the region in 2016 and the fleet will grow to 17 aircraft by 2020. Air Astana will then operate 6 A320neo, 7 A321neo and 4 A321neo LR types. All aircraft will be acquired on operating lease basis in accordance with agreements that were signed for 11 aircraft in 2015 and 6 aircraft in 2017.

The delivery of the new generation A320neo Family aircraft will allow for an overall increase of capacity by up to 40% over the next three years. The A320neo and A321neo will operate on domestic and medium haul destinations, whilst the A321neo LR has the capability to operate long-range services from Almaty and Astana to destinations in Asia and Europe. As well as boosting frequencies on existing routes, the aircraft will also be deployed on new services to CIS and South Asia.

“Air Astana has plans to grow the fleet to more than 60 aircraft over the next 10 years and we look forward to becoming one of the largest A320neo Family operators in the region,” said Peter Foster, President and CEO of Air Astana. “The existing fleet of A320 aircraft has been a great success in service for many years, and the A320neo  family now offers further improvements in terms of passenger comfort and cost efficiency”.

Air Astana, the national carrier of Kazakhstan, operates flights to over 60 domestic and international routes from hubs in Astana and Almaty. The company was incorporated in late 2001 and commenced operations on 15 May 2002. Air Astana fleet consists of Boeing 767, 757, Airbus A319, A320, A320neo, A321 and Embraer 190 aircraft. Air Astana became the first carrier from Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (the CIS) and Eastern Europe to be awarded the prestigious 4-Star rating by Skytrax at its World Airline Awards 2012 and was also named ‘The Best Airline in Central Asia and India’ that year. Both achievements were repeated in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.