ALMATY – Air Astana Group is accelerating its international expansion in 2026, boosting transit passenger traffic by 65% in the first quarter and launching new routes across Asia and Europe.
Photo credit: Air Astana.
The number of international transit passengers traveling via Kazakhstan rose sharply compared with the same period last year, driven by network expansion and capacity adjustments, the company’s press service reported.
Since the beginning of 2026, total transit traffic has exceeded 137,000 passengers, including more than 48,000 international transit passengers.
The growth has been supported by the airline’s strategy to reallocate capacity from the Middle East to high-demand routes across Asia and beyond. Key destinations contributing to the increase include Seoul, Bangkok, Phuket, Phu Quoc, Male, Istanbul, Delhi, Tashkent, and Tbilisi.
Network expansion continues
As part of its international expansion, Air Astana launched a new direct route from Almaty to Shanghai in 2026.
The airline also plans to introduce additional routes from Astana to Guangzhou, China; Larnaca, Cyprus; and Dalaman, Türkiye, further strengthening connectivity between Central Asia and major global destinations.
In addition to new routes, the carrier is increasing flight frequencies on several existing routes, including Seoul and other international destinations, to meet growing passenger demand.
