Astana airport set to up passenger transportation by up to 7 million
By Vusala Abbasova
Astana Airport intends to increase passenger transportation from 3 million up to 7 million per year after putting a new passenger terminal into operation and renovating the airport runway.
The new terminal will feature 25 check-in desks, 24 immigration service stands, and 3 baggage conveyors, according to the Kazakh Temir Zholy Company.
The development of the Astana Airport is in accordance within the “State program of infrastructure development for 2015-2019,” which is aimed at implementing a new economic policy based on the formation of single market and infrastructure.
Kazakhstan plans to expand direct flights, giving consumers greater options to go abroad, and as a result, increase the flow of passengers to Kazakhstan's airports.
Recently, Kazakh Investment and Development Minister Asset Issekeshev announced plans to open new direct flights from Astana to six major business centers in the world by late 2019.
Furthermore, the country hopes to apply the European experience of flight control in its own domestic industry in order to improve the level of safety of its civil aviation.
For these purposes, negotiations with the world's leading aviation administrations have already begun.
Currently, Astana Airport serves 140 flights and an average 10,000 passengers daily. The airport operates as many as 18 regular flights through 16 domestic and 24 international destinations.
The airport rendered services for about 3 million passengers and handled 9,653 tons of cargo in 2014.
Kazakhstan has airports in the cities of 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.
Its existing airline companies 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.
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