Kazakhstan's Air Astana is launching direct flights between Almaty and Shanghai, with the first service scheduled for March 29, 2026.

The new route will operate three times a week-on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, while return flights from Shanghai to Almaty will run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.

According to the airline, departures from Almaty are set for 19:10 (GMT+5), arriving in Shanghai at 04:25 local time the following day. Return flights will leave Shanghai at 05:40 and land in Almaty at 10:15.

Round-trip ticket prices start at 281,312 tenge ($558.03) in economy class and from 921,132 tenge ($1,827) in business class.

With the launch of the Almaty-Shanghai route, the total number of weekly flights between Kazakhstan and China will increase from 81 to 84.

Air Astana already operates flights to Beijing, Guangzhou, Urumqi, and Sanya, further expanding air connectivity between the two countries.