Astana, 4 November, . The first Almaty–Tokyo flight will operate on 30 November 2026, and routes to Vienna, New York, Milan and other cities will open next year, first deputy prime minister Nurlybek Nalibayev said at a press conference in the Government.
According to him, free economic zone regimes have been introduced at the main air hubs, and fuelling complexes and cargo terminals are being upgraded with rail and road links. Runways and terminals are being reconstructed: Almaty and Urzhar airports are being modernised, a second runway is being built in Shymkent, and in August the Pavlodar runway was rebuilt and Arkalyk airport restored. On the President’s instructions, airports are being built in Zaisan, Katon-Karagai and Kendirli; Nalibayev gave the end of 2026 as the completion date, while the minister of national economy, according to Zakon.kz, named May 2027 for commissioning.
What it means: Kazakhstan is extending long-haul routes to North America and Japan while finishing airports in resort areas in the east and west of the country.
Who benefits: Passengers who will no longer need to change planes to reach New York and Tokyo, and the resorts of Altai and Mangystau; which airlines will fly the new routes and on what schedule has not been announced.
Background: Kazinform earlier reported that the first non-stop flights between Kazakhstan and the United States are provisionally planned for the second half of 2027.
