China-Kazakhstan air market sees rapid expansion

The air transport market between China and Kazakhstan is going through a great period of growth, according to Peter Foster, CEO of Air Astana, the flag carrier airline of the Central Asian country.

Last year, the market grew by 55 percent last year, and it saw 15 percent growth during the low season in the first three months of this year, Foster said on Wednesday at an event in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to mark the launch of the Almaty-Guangzhou route on March 31.

The flight between Kazakhstan's Almaty and Guangzhou, operated three times weekly, exceeded expectations even before the high season, with a 70 percent load factor.

Foster said: "We expect that to continue to go forward. We're very satisfied with the performance so far in these early days."

Air Astana has continuously developed its route network in China since the Almaty-Beijing route was launched two decades ago. It now operates five routes between Kazakhstan and China, with 23 weekly flights.

Foster said he is delighted that the governments of the two countries have signed a visa-free agreement enabling simpler entry and exit processes.

With the visa-free agreement going into effect in November 2023, Chinese visitors to Kazakhstan grew by 78 percent year-on-year in 2024, said Kuanysh Amantay, minister counselor of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in China.

Weekly flights between the two countries are expected to hit 80 in the busiest season this year compared to 40 before the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. Last year was designated as the tourism year of Chinese visitors to Kazakhstan, and this year is designated as the tourism year of Kazakh visitors to China.

Meanwhile, bilateral trade has grown rapidly, and the investment cooperation between the two countries has been close, he said.