Air Astana to lease seven Airbus aircraft

Air Astana has reached an agreement with Air Lease Corporation to lease seven Airbus A321neo LR aircraft. The delivery of the first aircraft is expected in 2026, the airline said in a statement.

Under the agreement, which was approved by the airline’s board of directors, the carrier will lease the aircraft for an unspecified period and will return them once the contract expires.

As Air Astana noted, it plans to obtain these seven aircraft within the framework of its broader strategy to expand its fleet to 80 planes by the end of 2028. Currently, the company operates 54 aircraft, a slight increase from 50 planes at the beginning of the year. In February, right before its initial public offering (IPO), the airline revealed its plan to purchase primarily narrow-bodied aircraft as they are more maneuverable, fast and convenient for passenger boarding and deboarding. Air Astana believes that this is an effective tool to boost the profitability of its business. The Airbus A321neo LR meets all these characteristics and is a good example of a narrow-bodied plane.

The airline also announced its intention to stop using Brazilian Embraer and American Boeing 767 aircraft and replace them with Airbus A320 and Boeing 787 models. This measure is intended to simplify the airline’s fleet, reducing it from three types to two.

The air carrier also plans to launch direct flights to New York in the near future. Although it currently has no aircraft capable of such flights, Air Astana is set to receive its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, a plane designed for transcontinental flights, by the end of 2025. The company will obtain three brand-new Dreamliners in total.

Air Lease Corporation is one of the leading global companies specializing in aircraft leasing. It was established in 2010 and is headquartered in Los Angeles. The company collaborates with 119 airlines from 62 countries. Last year, Air Lease Corporation reported $552 million in net profit.

After the IPO in February 2024, Air Astana is controlled by several shareholders, including Samruk-Kazyna (41.07%), Citibank (23.66%, a nominee shareholder), BAE Systems (16.98%) and the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund (6.52%).