Kazakhstan postpones launch of direct flights to New York

Kazakhstan’s authorities plan to launch direct air routes to New York, Tokyo, Rome, Vienna and Singapore, according to Saltanat Tompiyeva, Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), who spoke at the Astana Finance Days forum.

Direct flights to Tokyo, Rome, Vienna and Singapore may start as early as 2026. Flights to New York are now scheduled for 2027, although the agency had previously reported that the route to the Big Apple would begin in 2026.

Tompiyeva also said that 58 new international air routes have been launched in Kazakhstan over the past 18 months, including 22 in 2024 and 36 in 2025.

In total, Kazakhstan currently operates direct flights to 30 countries, with 139 international routes. According to Tompieva, 824 international flights depart from Kazakhstan every week. One of the latest additions is a direct Bangkok–Almaty service operated by Thai AirAsia, a low-cost airline from Thailand.