ASTANA — The Astana-Istanbul flight operated by Turkish Airlines celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Just two decades ago, the route operated only twice a week. Today, it has grown to 11 weekly flights, and Turkish Airlines has no plans to stop there.
Engin Akbaş, Turkish Airlines General Manager (Astana & Aktau). Photo credit: The Astana Times
In an interview with The Astana Times, Engin Akbaş, Turkish Airlines General Manager (Astana & Aktau), reiterated the unstoppable momentum of the airline, which sees every obstacle as motivation rather than a limitation.
The Istanbul–Astana route was launched shortly after Astana became Kazakhstan’s capital. According to Akbaş, it began as a political step 20 years ago, but growing trade, tourism, and demand have since turned it into a thriving route with 11 weekly flights.
“Before Astana became the capital, Almaty was the capital, and we started flying there in 1992, right after recognizing Kazakhstan’s independence. Türkiye was the first country to recognize Kazakhstan’s independence. However, when we started to operate flights to Astana in 2005, it was a relatively new city, not like what we see today. There were not too many buildings and facilities back then. But it became a bridge connecting Kazakhstan to Türkiye,” he said.
Celebrating 20 Years: a flight that connects beyond Istanbul
Marking the 20th anniversary, Akbaş emphasized that the vision for the flight has evolved. Today, the route symbolizes more than just a connection between Astana and Istanbul — it connects Kazakhstan to the world.
Turkish Airlines is paying more attention to Kazakhstan because of the close relationship between the two countries, said Akbaş to Aida Haidar. Photo credit: The Astana Times
“When Kazakhstan is growing, Turkish Airlines has to grow as well. With our vast network of global flights, we are connecting Astana to destinations all over the world. Istanbul is no longer the final destination — it’s a major transit hub for Kazakhstan, for Astana,” he said.
Turkish Airlines serves both corporate and commercial clients. As the capital city, Astana is home to many bureaucrats and business travelers, making the Astana-Istanbul route a vital corporate bridge between Europe, the United States, Africa, and Kazakhstan.
When asked about Astana’s relatively lower connectivity than Almaty, Akbaş highlighted the need for greater investment from all airline operators serving the capital.
“Not only Turkish Airlines should invest — other airlines should invest more as well. Our competitors have very low frequencies. But of course, this is a win-win situation. If they grow and gain more, they can increase frequency. And this will benefit all market players,” he explained.
The idea of investment, even when there are no immediate returns, was one of the points Akbaş reiterated several times during the interview. He also emphasized Turkish Airlines’ commitment to continuous growth, despite challenges.
He shared progress made during his tenure in Kazakhstan. According to him, cooperation with Kazakhstan’s Civil Aviation Committee led to the expansion of flight frequency. Two and a half years ago, the airline operated only seven weekly flights, and wide-body aircraft were not permitted.
“Now, wide-body aircraft are allowed. Starting this June, we will increase their number from four to five. That means we will have five wide-body aircraft and six narrow-body aircraft,” he said.
Despite this progress, Turkish Airlines has an even bolder vision — to operate two daily flights from Astana. However, this depends heavily on the airline’s fleet expansion. As of March, Turkish Airlines had 476 aircraft. The target is to reach 509 aircraft by the end of 2025.
“What does this increase in fleet size mean? If we have more aircraft, we can operate more flights to Astana — even up to two daily flights,” he said.
Akbaş also noted that this must be a joint effort between the airline and Kazakhstan’s tourism authorities.
“Now there is traffic only on a corporate basis. Too many VIP passengers are flying, bureaucrats are flying. Last September, there were the World Nomad Games here, gathering many Turkic-speaking countries and others. There are always high level meetings and forums in Astana,” he said.
According to Akbaş, Turkish Airlines benefits from this traffic, but more should be done to promote Astana as a leisure destination. “When tourism increases, frequency will increase for sure. We should raise awareness of Astana as a tourism destination,” he added.
Expanding across Kazakhstan
However, Astana and Almaty are not the only cities of interest for Turkish Airlines. The airline currently operates 29 flights per week across Kazakhstan, including to cities such as Almaty, Aktau, and Turkistan, with plans to launch flights to Atyrau. The new route will connect Istanbul with Atyrau three times a week and provide access to more than 356 destinations in 131 countries through the airline’s global network.
Turkish Airlines also launched flights between Istanbul and Turkistan in 2021, operating two flights per week. Akbaş noted that Turkistan is a spiritual destination for many Muslims worldwide, and that Turkish Airlines contributes to their spiritual journeys while also promoting Turkistan as a tourism destination. He added that there are also plans to launch flights to Shymkent, although these are still being discussed.
According to Akbaş, many Kazakh airports approach Turkish Airlines with proposals to establish connections to Istanbul. However, there are many challenges involved, from airport infrastructure and available time slots to a lack of trained cabin crew. As one of the largest airlines in the world with a vast international network, the airline needs time to recruit and train qualified personnel both in the sky and on the ground to meet growing demand and support the expansion of flights from other cities in Kazakhstan. Opening new routes from Kazakhstan will require coordinated effort and time from both sides.
However, he reiterated the airline’s long-term commitment to Kazakhstan, distinguishing itself from competitors that reduce or suspend operations due to seasonal fluctuations in demand.
“Turkish Airlines is paying more attention to Kazakhstan because of the close relationship between the two countries. Other companies sometimes stop their flights because of low passenger numbers. We cannot do that. Turkish Airlines never stops its frequency. We fly 11 times in winter, 11 times in summer. Maybe we change the aircraft type, but we never stop,” he added.
Connecting beyond capitals
Akbaş also shared that Turkish Airlines aims to connect passengers to lesser-known cities via Istanbul. He cited Spain as an example — the airline not only serves major cities like Madrid and Barcelona but also flies to Valencia, Malaga, Bilbao, and plans to launch flights to Seville this September.
This is also beneficial for Kazakh passengers, he said, especially for those traveling to smaller cities for sports competitions or other events. These direct flights provide more convenient options compared to multiple stopovers.
Akbaş spoke about the importance of competition, noting that Turkish Airlines not only accepts it but welcomes it.
“If there is competition, prices go down. If there’s no competition, prices go up. It’s as simple as that,” he said.
“Air Astana uses us very well because we have a code-sharing agreement. This works well for us. When Air Astana opens new destinations, such as Seoul or others, and if we include them in the code-share agreement, it can benefit everyone,” he explained.
He also shared Turkish Airlines’ ambitious operational and marketing goals.
“We have a target of reaching 800 aircraft by our 100th anniversary in 2033. This year, we will reach 500 aircraft. You can see the vision. I believe we’re even in the Guinness World Records — we connect to more countries than any other airline. We are flying now to 122 countries. Normally, it was 130, but due to security concerns, we had to suspend flights to some countries,” Akbaş said.
He noted that Turkish Airlines currently flies to Damascus and has plans to launch flights to Aleppo.
“I hope the situation in the world improves. If wars end, if political crises are resolved — we will continue to fly, no doubt. We want to expand. We will not stop,” he concluded.
