Kazakhstan has begun an International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as part of efforts to establish direct air service between Kazakhstan and the United States, the Civil Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport said.

The Ministry of Transport, together with the Civil Aviation Committee, the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan (AAK) and Kazakhstan’s Embassy in the US, has been working for two years to create the conditions needed to launch direct flights between the two countries, The Caspian Post reports, citing the Committee.

“As part of this work, the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be held from September 21 to 25, 2026,” the committee said.

Ahead of the assessment, Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Transport Talgat Lastayev met with FAA experts who arrived in the country. The sides discussed the upcoming assessment and further cooperation aimed at improving aviation safety and developing international air services between Kazakhstan and the US.

The assessment focuses on Kazakhstan’s state aviation safety oversight system and is intended to determine whether the country’s aviation authorities comply with applicable International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and recommended practices.

During the IASA, FAA experts will examine aviation legislation, subordinate regulatory legal acts and Kazakhstan’s ability to conduct safety oversight in line with the eight critical elements of the ICAO state safety oversight system.

The 2026 assessment follows earlier preparatory work with the FAA. A preliminary IASA technical review was conducted in Kazakhstan from August 26 to 30, 2024, after which the sides continued cooperation ahead of the current assessment.

The FAA expert team includes specialists in international aviation law, aviation personnel licensing, airworthiness and flight operations.

On September 24, the FAA team is scheduled to make a technical visit to Air Astana in Astana. The airline has applied to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for authorization to conduct commercial operations.

The visit is intended to verify information provided by the AAK as part of the transparency process and does not constitute an inspection of Air Astana as an air operator certificate holder.

The FAA is the US federal agency responsible for civil aviation. Among its functions, it assesses through the IASA program whether foreign aviation authorities are capable of providing state oversight of civil aviation safety in accordance with ICAO standards.