Astana, 27 October. Kazakhstan's Aviation Administration held talks with a US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) delegation led by Eric Yatar, executive director for aviation and international policy; the American side explained the stages a Kazakh carrier must complete before starting direct flights to the United States, the Civil Aviation Committee said.
There are three stages: the TSA reviews the airline's aviation security programme, in this case Air Astana's, checks that its passenger data systems are compatible with the US Secure Flight programme, and assesses the security of the departure airport before flights begin. These steps must be coordinated with the procedures of the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The sides reviewed the results of a preliminary airport survey and further work on the TSA's recommendations; which airport was not specified.
The talks took place in Astana during ICAO Aviation Security Week 2026. Kazakhstan is also interested in studying US legislation and TSA practice to improve its own requirements and oversight; cargo security was discussed separately.
What it means: Kazakhstan now has a list of the checks standing between it and direct flights to the United States; a preliminary airport survey has been carried out, and the other stages lie ahead.
Who benefits: Passengers, who will be able to fly to the US without a transfer once all checks are complete; Air Astana, which gains a new long-haul route; the aviation authorities, which gain experience of the US oversight system.
Background: Besides the TSA checks, the flights depend on an FAA assessment, for which Kazakhstan is also preparing.
We have also reported that direct flights from Kazakhstan to the US could open in 2027.
