Kazakhstan carriers ramp up China flights to enhance air network

Kazakhstan's flag carrier Air Astana will increase flights from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to both Almaty and Astana from late August, while the country's low-cost carrier FlyArystan is preparing to launch the first direct service between Almaty and Chongqing, as China-Kazakhstan aviation links shift from establishing basic connectivity to building a denser multi-city network.

From Aug 23, Air Astana will increase its Guangzhou-Astana service to three flights per week from two, followed by an increase in Guangzhou-Almaty services to daily flights from five a week starting Aug 28, the carrier said on Friday. That will take its services between Guangzhou and Kazakhstan to 10 flights per week and its total China schedule to 41 weekly flights during the 2026 summer-autumn season.

Kazakhstan's low-cost carrier Fly-Arystan will launch direct flights between Almaty and Chongqing in September, becoming the first Kazakh airline to serve the route.

The twice-weekly service will begin on Sept 23 using Airbus A320 aircraft, marking the carrier's fifth China route and the first nonstop connection between Kazakhstan and Chongqing, the airline said on July 22.

"The launch of flights to Chongqing reflects our commitment to steadily expanding FlyArystan's international network," said Johan Eidhagen, president and CEO of Fly-Arystan, adding that the airline selected the city due to strong passenger demand, fleet capacity and the route's long-term commercial potential.

The expansion is broadening what is already a relatively diversified bilateral aviation market. Recent data from civil aviation information provider Flight Master showed 21 routes connecting 10 Chinese cities with five cities in Kazakhstan, operated by eight domestic and foreign carriers.

The growth has been facilitated by a raising of the cap for scheduled passenger services. During consultations in Beijing in July, the two sides agreed to raise weekly flight allotments for airlines from both countries to 152 from 124.

They discussed establishing a third international air corridor between the two countries, which Kazakhstan's aviation regulator said could increase airspace capacity, improve routing and support further growth in flight frequencies.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's aviation regulator said China Eastern Airlines was preparing to launch direct flights between Astana and Shanghai this autumn, linking the Kazakh capital with China's main financial and commercial hub.

The increase in flights follows the rapid growth in economic ties. Trade between China and Kazakhstan reached a record $48.7 billion in 2025, up 11 percent year-on-year, according to Chinese customs data. China exported $29.7 billion of goods to Kazakhstan, while imports rose 19.3 percent to $19 billion.

This momentum continued into the first quarter of 2026, with trade surging 46.7 percent year-on-year to $13.2 billion, cementing Kazakhstan's position as China's largest trading partner in Central Asia.

Wei Jinshen, an associate professor at Lanzhou University's Institute for Central Asia Studies, said the Chongqing route was significant because it extended direct flights into one of the country's major southwestern industrial and consumer centers.

Chongqing has already developed extensive land transport links with Central Asia through the China-Europe Railway Express and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a key logistics network connecting China's western regions to global markets.

Wei said these networks had supported cooperation in equipment manufacturing, energy and agricultural processing, driving up travel demand for business executives and technical professionals.

"The new route shows that cooperation between China and Kazakhstan has moved beyond interaction at border ports toward the integration of inland consumer markets and industrial-chain resources," he said.

The broader shift is also visible in the composition of economic cooperation. China-Kazakhstan economic cooperation has accelerated as transport connectivity and strategic trust have improved, Zhang Hong, a researcher at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times in July.

Zhang said transport and logistics had become major areas of cooperation, while expanding rail and multimodal links had strengthened Kazakhstan's position as a transit hub between China and Europe.

Wei said high-technology industries, artificial intelligence, medical equipment, technology services and the digital economy could become additional growth areas as bilateral cooperation deepens.

"Denser air links would make travel easier for businesspeople and support cooperation in areas including aviation supplies, cross-border e-commerce, equipment manufacturing and digital services," he said. "The continuous expansion of the China-Kazakhstan air corridor will create a synergy with land-based logistics networks like the China-Europe Railway Express and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, helping to build an 'air-rail-maritime' multi-modal transport system."

The combined network could help bolster closer coordination of investment, personnel and industrial and supply chains, he added.

lijing2009@chinadaily.com.cn