World Monitor Magazine WM_KIOGE 2018_Web | Page 94
Air Astana demonstrates strong traffic and
revenue growth in the first half of 2018
Photo by Georgiy Bovtik
Air Astana recorded a 10% increase in passenger traffic
and a 17% uptick in revenues in the first half of the
year compared with the corresponding period of 2017.
Between January and June 2018, the airline carried more
than two million passengers.
The traffic growth was driven by the strong performance
on international passenger traffic that is up 22%
compared to the same period in 2017.
International transit traffic in the first half of 2018 grew
by 75% to 320,000 passengers on a strong base of 2017.
The share of transit passengers reached 30% of Air
Astana’s international traffic, up from 21% for the same
period last year.
Capacity was bolstered 8% as a result of the introduction
of new flights from Astana to Tyumen and Kazan, as
well as additional frequencies from Astana to London
Heathrow (now daily), Omsk, Dubai, Delhi, and from
Almaty to Dushanbe, Baku, Hong Kong, Seoul and Bishkek.
Additional services were added to Beijing, Moscow, St.
Petersburg and Kiev from both hubs. In addition, on
March 26, the airline launched new Atyrau-Frankfurt-
Atyrau services.
In March, Air Astana concluded a codeshare agreement
with Cathay Pacific, offering passengers convenient
connections when travelling on to Asia and Australia via
Hong Kong, becoming its 11th codeshare partner.
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Air Astana is also continuing with its fleet renewal
program. It welcomed three new A321neo aircraft into
its fleet as part of a total order for 17 aircraft.
In spring the airline commissioned its Aviation and
Technical Center at Astana Airport, which now provides
maintenance support to Air Astana’s fleet and intends
to provide services for third party airlines flying to
Kazakhstan. The facility has been further bolstered with
the addition of a new School of Aviation Mechanics,
operating under EASA Part 66 License.
Commenting on the results, Peter Foster, President and
CEO stated: “Passenger numbers continue to be strong for
international traffic and network business. Domestic and
regional routes face tough pricing and cost headwinds”.
Air Astana, the national carrier of Kazakhstan, operates flights to over 60
domestic and international routes from hubs in Astana and Almaty. The
company was incorporated in late 2001 and commenced operations on 15
May 2002. The Air Astana fleet consists of Boeing 767, 757, Airbus A319,
A320, A320neo, A321, A321neo and Embraer 190 aircraft. Air Astana
became the first carrier from Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS) and Eastern Europe to be awarded a prestigious 4-Star rating
by Skytrax at its World Airline Awards 2012 and was also named ‘The
Best Airline in Central Asia and India’ that year. Both achievements were
repeated in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Air Astana is a joint
venture between Kazakhstan’s national wealth fund, Samruk Kazyna, and
BAE Systems, with respective shares of 51% and 49%. Air Astana named
a Winner in TripAdvisor 2018 Travellers' Choice Awards.