Kazakhstan’s aviation sector has seen growth with the country’s airlines adding 10 new passenger aircraft to their fleets in the first 10 months of the year. These additions include Airbus A320 family aircraft, both ceos and neos, all leased by carriers within the Air Astana group, which includes Air Astana and low-cost carrier FlyArystan.

The arrival of these aircraft is helping to sustain the positive growth trends in the industry, which the Civil Aviation Committee (CAC) of Kazakhstan describes as “stable.”

According to the CAC, Kazakh airlines carried a total of 12.3mn passengers between January and October 2024, marking an 11% increase compared to the same period in 2023. In addition, the volume of cargo transported by these airlines reached 22,400 tons, an 18% rise year-on-year.

Kazakhstan’s airports have also experienced significant growth, serving 25.2mn passengers in the first 10 months of 2024, a 14% increase from the previous year. The volume of cargo handled by the country’s airports totaled 141,700 tons, reflecting a 34% growth.

As of October 2024, Kazakhstan is connected by air to 31 countries with 115 routes and 571 flights per week. This is a notable increase from 2023, when the country was linked to 28 countries, 115 routes, and 550 flights per week.

The country’s domestic aviation sector is also expanding, with six local airlines—Air Astana, FlyArystan, Scat, Qazaq Air, Yuzhnoe Nebo, and Zhetysu—serving 57 domestic routes. This represents a rise in both the number of airlines (up from five in 2023) and the number of weekly flights (up to 669 from 630 last year).

To further enhance domestic air connectivity, the Kazakh government has subsidized 19 domestic routes across nine regions, investing KZT 6.6bn ($13mn). These subsidies aim to support socially important areas and foster the development of local tourism.