Kazakhstan to expand number of flights to the U.K. from Astana and Almaty

Kazakhstan and the U.K. are going to increase flight connectivity between the two countries. Authorized agencies of the two countries are the Civil Aviation Committee (CAC) under the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development of Kazakhstan and the British Department for Transport. They have already negotiated the issue.

«The flight frequency between Almaty and Astana on the one hand and any destination in the U.K. on the other hand will be increased to seven flights a week. The cargo traffic also will be expanded to seven flights a week on an irregular basis, including the fifth freedom of air travel as Kazakhstan expands its open sky policy,» the CAC said in a statement.

The fifth freedom of air travel is a concept that allows an airline, based in one country, to carry passengers between two foreign countries as part of a flight originating or ending in its home country.

Thanks to these arrangements, Air Astana will be able to expand the number of flights to London to seven flights a week by the end of the current year.

So far, the airline has been flying to London five times a week. All direct flights on this frequency were based on temporary permission, which is going to expire on June 15, 2023.

To increase flight connectivity with different global cities, Kazakhstan is also planning new direct flights from Astana to New York, Prague, Tokyo and Singapore.

In a separate case, the Wizz Air Abu Dhabi airline is going to expand the number of flights from Abu-Dabi to Astana from three flights a week to five flights a week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On August 4, the airline will make the next step and expand the air frequency from five to seven flights a week.

Kazakhstan has extended the open sky policy to 2027. This regime is applied in 12 international airports of Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Taraz, Karaganda, Semey, Aktau, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Pavlodar, Petropavlovsk, Kokshetau, Turkestan and Aktobe.