Air Astana marks eleventh anniversary of its first flight

ASTANA, Kazakhstan – Air Astana, the flag carrier of Kazakhstan, marked the eleventh anniversary of its first flight from Almaty to Astana this week. Since 15th March 2002, the airline’s network has expanded to reach more than 60 international and domestic destinations, with an all western fleet growing to 26 Airbus, Embraer and Boeing aircraft. Air Astana has safely performed more than 230,000 flights and carried over 20 million passengers and 112,000 tons of cargo.

Air Astana has maintained profitability in every year since 2002 and contributed greatly to the Kazakhstan’s economy with tax payments of almost US$280 million. The company provides employment to more than 4,000 people and continues to invest in training pilots, engineers and customer service staff.

In 2012, Air Astana became the first carrier from the Russia / CIS /Eastern Europe region to be awarded the prestigious 4-Star rating in the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2012 and was also named The Best Airline in Central and South Asia.

Air Astana is a full member of the International Air Transport Association and was the first airline in Kazakhstan to achieve EU EASA Part 145 aircraft maintenance certification.