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Air Astana is taking the first step toward launching the first-ever nonstop commercial flights between Kazakhstan and the United States. The flag carrier of Kazakhstan has filed an application with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) requesting the authority to begin service from Almaty International Airport (ALA) and/or Astana’s Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport (NQZ) to New York starting in 2027.
The filing does not specify which New York-area airport the airline plans to serve (New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) is the logical one), but Air Astana says it intends to operate the route using Boeing 787 aircraft (configured with 303 seats).
If approved, the flights would establish the first nonstop commercial air service between the United States and Kazakhstan. This would eliminate the need for travelers to connect through Europe, the Middle East, or Asia. In its application, Air Astana said its maintenance, insurance, operational, and safety programs meet US regulatory standards and argued that the new service would benefit travelers by strengthening economic and cultural ties between the two countries. Kazakhstan will also need to receive an IASA Category 1 rating by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in order to start service.
Based in Almaty, Air Astana operates a network spanning Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. While its current fleet is primarily made up of Airbus aircraft, the airline has ordered up to 15 Boeing 787s, which will support its planned long-haul expansion.
Anthony’s Take: The Department of Transportation must approve the application before the airline can begin selling tickets or launching service. If granted, the flights would be a big deal for both Air Astana and transcontinental travel between Central Asia and the United States.
(Image Credits: Air Astana and Boeing.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
