ASTANA – Investments in Kazakh airports infrastructure reached $2.4 billion, said Kazakh Minister of Transport Marat Karabayev at a Dec. 19 government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.
Photo credit: Air Astana
At the Almaty airport, work is underway to overhaul the apron and improve the cargo handling procedures. The construction of a new passenger terminal in Shymkent is nearing completion. Terminals Holding of the United Arab Emirates plans to reconstruct the runway and expand the cargo terminal in Astana, according to Karabayev.
In the coming years, the country intends to improve the airports of Balkhash and Urdzhar and construct the airports at Karkaraly, Ulytau, Zaisan, and Katon-Karagay.
Smailov addressed bottlenecks in the industry, naming the aviation fuel shortage as the most important challenge. Today, the industry needs more than 300,000 tons per year.
According to Karabayev, the ministry plans to solve this issue by increasing the amount of imported aviation fuel, including from China.
“We also consider JET A-1 aviation fuel. For this purpose, the fueling complex at Almaty airport is undergoing modernization to switch to this type of aviation fuel from June 2024,” Karabayev said.
In January-November, Kazakh airlines transported 12.3 million passengers, 23% more than last year.
