Kazakhstan and China are set to significantly strengthen air connectivity, agreeing to increase the number of scheduled passenger flights between the two countries and explore new direct routes as travel demand and economic ties continue to grow.

The agreement was reached during civil aviation talks in Beijing between Kazakhstan's Civil Aviation Committee under the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), The Caspian Post reports via Kazinform.

Under the new arrangement, airlines from both countries will be able to operate up to 154 regular passenger flights per week, up from the current 124. The expanded agreement also adds Chongqing-one of China's largest transportation, logistics, and industrial centers-to the list of Chinese cities served by flights from Kazakhstan, bringing the total number of destinations to 11.

The two sides also discussed launching direct flights between Astana and Shanghai, including services operated by Chinese carriers, further enhancing travel and business links.

Another key outcome of the talks was the proposal to establish a third international air corridor between Kazakhstan and China. The new route is expected to increase airspace capacity, optimize flight paths, ease congestion on existing corridors, and support the continued growth of passenger and cargo traffic.

Officials also addressed airport slot allocations for Kazakh airlines at Chinese airports, the use of Chinese airspace, and plans to sign an interagency agreement on cooperation in civil aviation search and rescue operations.