Kazakhstan is set to enhance regional connectivity and improve air services between key cities by subsidizing 24 domestic routes in 2025. This initiative, aimed at making air travel more accessible across the country, was announced by the Civil Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan.
The rights to operate these vital routes were awarded through a competitive bidding process to three airlines: SCAT Airlines, Qazaq Air, and Southern Sky. These carriers were selected for their ability to operate on regional routes with aircraft suited for such services.
SCAT Airlines will operate on 15 subsidized routes, including key connections from Almaty to Balkhash, Petropavlovsk, Taraz, Urjar, and Usharal, as well as from Astana to Balkhash, Urjar, and Usharal. Other routes include connections from Turkestan to Aktau, Aktobe, and Uralsk, along with services from Shymkent to Petropavlovsk and Kokshetau, and Kokshetau-Aktau and Taraz-Atyrau.
Qazaq Air will be responsible for 7 routes, including connections from Astana to Pavlodar and Petropavlovsk, from Turkestan to Karaganda and Kostanai, and from Zhezkazgan to Karaganda and Shymkent, along with a link between Almaty and Kokshetau.
Southern Sky will operate two routes: Semey-Urdzhar and Ust-Kamenogorsk-Zaisan.
Kazakhstan has also started building three new airports in its resort regions—Zaisan, Katon-Karagay, and Kendirli—to boost domestic tourism and improve air transport services. These projects, launched under the leadership of the president, aim to drive economic growth in the area, attract tourists, and create new jobs for local communities.
Kazakhstan's air transport sector has seen significant growth, with passenger traffic rising by 10-15% annually. In 2024, local airlines carried around 15mn passengers, while airports handled a total of 30mn passengers, including those flying with international carriers. Additionally, cargo air transportation increased to 28,000 tons in 2024.
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