ASTANA – A team of experts from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began an International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) in Kazakhstan on Sept. 21 as the country advances efforts to establish direct air connectivity with the U.S.
Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Transport Talgat Lastayev met with the visiting FAA experts. Photo credit: CAC.
The assessment will run through Sept. 25 and focuses on Kazakhstan’s state aviation safety oversight system. The Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Committee, the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan (AAK) and Kazakhstan’s Embassy in the U.S. are carrying out the work, the committee’s press service reported.
Assessment focuses on aviation safety oversight
Ahead of the assessment, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Transport Talgat Lastayev met with the visiting FAA experts. The sides discussed the upcoming assessment and further cooperation to strengthen aviation safety oversight and develop international air services between Kazakhstan and the U.S.
The IASA will assess whether Kazakhstan’s aviation authorities comply with applicable International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and recommended practices related to personnel licensing, international commercial air transport operations and aircraft airworthiness. FAA experts will review Kazakhstan’s aviation legislation, regulatory framework and the country’s ability to exercise effective safety oversight based on the eight critical elements of an ICAO state safety oversight system.
The assessment includes specialists in international aviation law, aviation personnel licensing, airworthiness and flight operations.
Assessment builds on work started in 2024
The 2026 assessment follows a preliminary technical review the FAA conducted in Kazakhstan from Aug. 26 to 30, 2024. Since then, Kazakhstan’s aviation authorities and the FAA have continued working to prepare for the current assessment and address areas relevant to the country’s aviation safety oversight system.
On Sept. 24, the FAA team is scheduled to make a technical visit to Air Astana in Astana. The airline has applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation for authorization to conduct commercial operations in the U.S.
According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, the visit is intended to verify information provided to the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan as part of the transparency process. It is not an inspection of Air Astana as an air operator certificate holder.
After completing the assessment, the FAA is expected to hold a final briefing with the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan and then provide a written report covering the areas reviewed.
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport said the IASA represents an important step in strengthening the country’s state aviation safety oversight system and advancing work toward launching direct air services between Kazakhstan and the U.S.
