Cosmodrome tour: Russia and Kazakhstan to boost tourism in Baikonur

Kazakhstan and Russia have reached an agreement to open regular flights to Baikonur, aiming to attract tourists interested in visiting space facilities located within the cosmodrome. This agreement was finalized at the International Civil Aviation Organization Air Services Negotiation Event (ICAN 2024) in Malaysia.

«The Kazakhstan delegation held a meeting with Russia’s Deputy Minister of Transport Vladimir Poteshkin during which both parties agreed to establish air service from Kazakhstan and Russia to Baikonur to support tourism to the space station,» reported Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport.

Additionally, Kazakhstan secured agreements to increase weekly flights with four countries: Vietnam, Morocco, Ethiopia and Rwanda. The number of flights with these countries will expand from 14 to 73 per week, further enhancing travel connectivity.

Authorities aim to expand tourism at the Baikonur Cosmodrome by investing in ground facilities and comfortable hotels. Consolidating all space assets into a single holding or corporation could offer a strategic pathway for industry growth.

In a tragic incident this June, two tourists from Paris attempted to reach the spaceport independently after arriving in Almaty, leading to one of them succumbing to dehydration in the steppe.

Baikonur, the world’s largest space center, was established by the Soviet Union in 1957. Situated in Kazakhstan’s Kyzylorda region, it houses 15 launch facilities for various carrier rockets. Since 1994, Russia has leased the site from Kazakhstan, paying $115 million annually under an agreement extending through 2050.