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哈萨克斯坦阿斯塔纳航空首席执行官表示，将增加飞往上海的航班 2026-04-13
Air Astana plans to increase the flight frequency on its Shanghai-Almaty route, with Kazakhstan's flag carrier expecting growing travel demand thanks to deepening bilateral business, tourism, and study abroad ties, according to its new chief executive officer.
Shanghai is Air Astana's sixth destination in China, following Beijing, Urumqi, Guangzhou, Sanya, and Yining, Ibrahim Canliel, who took office earlier this month, said in an interview with Yicai during a visit to the eastern Chinese city for the launch of the new Shanghai-Almaty route.
The opening of the Shanghai-Almaty route increased Air Astana's weekly flights between China and Kazakhstan to 32, Canliel pointed out. In addition, the carrier will launch flights from Astana to Hangzhou and Guangzhou in June and add some from Almaty and Astana to Beijing and from Almaty to Urumqi this summer, he noted.
Air Astana has seen a strong acceleration in demand from business and leisure travelers, Canliel said. However, the number of flights and routes only meets a small portion of passenger flow and business exchange needs, leaving wide room for future growth, he added.
The increase in Air Astana's flight capacity comes amid a rapid increase in travel between China and Kazakhstan, driven by expanding trade and investment links. The carrier handled more than 250,000 passengers traveling between the two countries last year, almost double the number from the previous year.
Imports from China account for one-third of Kazakhstan's international trade, while 90 percent of Kazakhstan's exports go the other way, Canliel pointed out. More flights between the two countries facilitate travel for businessmen and the many students going to each other's universities, he said.
The mutual visa exemption policy between China and Kazakhstan, which kicked off in 2023, has also brought more passenger traffic to airlines, Canliel noted.
The number of flights from China to all five Central Asian countries has surged compared with the levels before the Covid 19 pandemic. Those to Kazakhstan led after exceeding 700 last month, which is almost three times more compared with 2019, followed by those to Uzbekistan, which have soared over six times. Flights to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan have also seen various increases, with volumes already exceeding their respective pre-pandemic levels.
On the same day that Air Astana launched its Shanghai-Almaty route, China Southern Airlines began running a direct flight from Guangzhou to Bishkek, China Eastern Airlines opened a Shanghai-Tashkent route, and Uzbekistan Airways started flying between Shenzhen and Tashkent.
China's international air routes are undergoing a notable structural shift, with passenger flights to countries along the Belt and Road in Central Asia, Africa, and the Middle East accounting for more than 70 percent of the total, several industry insiders told Yicai. Many new routes opened by the three biggest state-owned carriers -- China Eastern, China Southern, and Air China -- have been to non-traditional markets, they noted.
The shift comes as newly launched routes to Europe and the United States remain constrained by air rights reciprocity restrictions, while economic and trade exchanges between China and Belt and Road countries continue to strengthen, the insiders pointed out.
Source: Yicai Global
