Article from BTNews 3 JULY 2017
Air Astana in growth mode
Having launched its fifth weekly service between Heathrow and Astana last month, Air Astana, a partner airline of Novosibirsk International Airport, has now also increased its operations between Novosibirsk and Astana to daily, using the Embraer E190.
The airline, a joint venture between the National Welfare Fund of Samruk-Kazyn in Kazakhstan, which owns 51% of the shares, and BAE Systems, with 49%, says Novosibirsk – Astana daily flights will bring new opportunities and a convenient point for connecting flights through Astana to Almaty and other Kazakh cities, Turkey, the UAE and India.
Novosibirsk International (Tolmachevo) is the largest air hub in Russia east of the Urals on major transit routes between Europe and Asia. Its domestic terminal has a capacity of up to 1,800 passengers an hour, while the international terminal can handle up to 1,300.
The airport has two runways certified to ICAO I and II categories and last year handled more than 4m passengers.
Air Astana began regular flights in May 2002 and its current destinations network includes more than 60 international and regional flights operated from Almaty and Astana hubs.
The Heathrow – Astana route offers same-day connections to Almaty and 11 other Kazakh domestic destinations on all five days.
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