The Air Astana Group is the largest airline group in Central Asia, and it has been connecting Kazakhstan and China for more than 20 years. Today, the group's full-service carrier, Air Astana, operates services to Beijing and Urumqi, the second largest city and cultural, political and transport center in China's northwestern interior, The Caspian Post reports citing foreign media.
Air Astana operates seven weekly flights from Almaty and Astana to Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) and four flights weekly to Urumqi Diwopu International Airport (URC) from Almaty International Airport (ALA). On Monday, Air Astana announced it is opening a new route between Almaty and Guangzhou, the largest industrial center in China.
Guangzhou is a global leader in the textile industry and an important economic and cultural hub located 75 miles northwest of Hong Kong. Commenting on the new route, Air Astana Group CEO Peter Foster said that the launch of the new service to Guangzhou represents a very significant step in expanding Air Astana's network, adding:
"China has always been a strategically important market for Air Astana, with strong business and leisure traffic growth since the first service was launched between Astana and Beijing more than twenty years ago."
Photo: Christian Brinkmann - Airbus
The new route will commence on March 30, 2025, and will operate three times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Air Astana will operate the service with an Airbus A321LR, with flights departing Almaty at 20:50 and arriving in Guangzhou at 05:45 the following day. The return service leaves Guangzhou at 06:50 and arrives in Almaty at 10:20.
Air Astana's new destination in Vietnam
For this year's spring-summer season, Air Astana is launching flights from Almaty and Astana to a new destination in Vietnam, the coastal resort city of Nha Trang. Known as the beach capital of southern Vietnam, Nha Trang is famous for its stunning beaches, pristine diving spots and picturesque nearby islands.
Air Astana will commence flights in March 2025 to Cam Ranh International Airport (CXR), the nearest airport to Nha Trang. The airport is 16 miles from Nha Trang and is Vietnam's fourth-busiest, serving close to 30 airlines. The Airbus A321LR will operate the route with flights from Almaty starting on March 30, followed on March 31 by the service from Astana. The schedule is as follows:
- Flight KC193 Almaty-Cam Ranh: Departure at 23:35 and arrival at 09:20+1
- Flight KC194 Cam Ranh-Almaty: Departure at 10:50 and arrival at 16:45
- Flight KC157 Astana-Cam Ranh: Departure at 23:00 and arrival at 09:20+1
- Flight KC158 Cam Ranh-Astana: Departure at 10:50 and arrival at 17:50
The flight duration from Almaty is approximately eight hours, and from Astana, it is eight hours and forty minutes. Tickets are now on sale with round-trip economy fares, including all fees, starting at $750 from Almaty and $850 from Astana., while business class fares start from $1,975 from Astana and Almaty.
The A321LR is opening new routes for Air Astana
Fleet data from Planespotters.net shows that Air Astana has a fleet of 31 aircraft, not including those operating for the group's low-cost carrier, FlyArystan. The Air Astana fleet includes nine Airbus A320neos, three Airbus A321-200s, four A321neos, twelve A321LRs and three Boeing 767-300s.
FlyArystan also operates an all-Airbus fleet of 24 aircraft, including 13 A320-200s and 11 new-generation A320neos. As an early adopter of the Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engines on its A320neo Family aircraft, the Air Astana Group has been significantly hamstrung with aircraft grounded due to engine reliability issues affecting both airlines.
The Air Astana Group provides scheduled, point-to-point and transit, short-haul and long-haul air travel and cargo on domestic, regional and international routes across Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Far East, the Middle East, India and Europe. It is also worth noting that Kazakhstan citizens can enjoy visa-free travel to China and Vietnam for up to 30 days, facilitating easier travel between the nations.
