Kazakhstan to open direct flights to 6 major world business centers

By Aynur Karimova

Kazakhstan is planning to open direct flights from Astana to six major business centers in the world by the end of 2019, according to a statement by Kazakh Investment and Development Minister Asset Issekeshev at a press conference on July 23.

Issekeshev said that this year, passengers will be given the opportunity to fly directly from Kazakhstan's capital Astana to Dubai.

"Air service to Hong Kong will be opened next year and to Tokyo in 2017. Flights to Singapore will be conducted in 2018, while to New York and Shanghai by the end of 2019," the minister noted.

Kazakhstan also hopes to apply the European experience of flight control in its own domestic industry.

"The need to further improve the level of safety in civil aviation is separately mentioned in the Plan of the nation ‘100 concrete steps,’ voiced by the Head of State. The experience of the British Civil Aviation Agency and the EU Aviation Safety Agency will be applied to improve the effectiveness of state regulation of air transport," Issekeshev added.

Negotiations with the world's leading aviation administrations have already begun and foreign specialists will start working with the relevant committee of the Ministry of Investment and Development next year.

Kazakhstan has airports in Shimkent, Atbasar, Karaganda, Kyzyl-Orda, Balkhash, Burundai, Zaisan, Petropavlovsk, Semipalatinsk, Ust-kamenogorsk, Uralsk, Taldy-Kurgan, Kokshetau, Pavlodar, Zhezkazgan, Atyrau, Zhambyl, Zhairem, Ekibastuz, Almaty, Aktau, Kostanay, Aktyubinsk, Arkalyk, and Astana cities.

Its existing airlines are Air Astana, Air Company MEGA, Avia Jaynar, Bek Air, Berkut Air, Euro-Asia Air, Excellent Glide, Irtysh-Air, SCAT, Semeyavia, Zhetysu, and Zhezkazgan Air, and Qazaq Air.

Kazakhstan's airlines plan to increase coverage to new destinations, opening a range of new air transport routes to China.

In 2014, Kazakhstan's Transport and Communications Ministry announced that it would add 75 international flights by 2020.

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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova

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