From 160.000 to five million passengers a year: Kazakhstan's national carrier draws a positive balance after almost two decades.

Air Astana celebrates its 19th anniversary: ​​In May 2002 the airline carried out its first scheduled flight between Almaty and Astana (now Nur-Sultan). The number of passengers carried rose from 160.000 in 2002 to over five million passengers a year before the global pandemic began. At the same time, the route network grew to include up to 60 national and international routes.

In addition, the carrier Fly founded Arystana, the first low-cost carrier in Central Asia. This quickly built up an extensive intra-Kazakh route network and also offers international flights to Georgia and Turkey. 

“The then Kazakh President Nazarbayev, together with Sir Richard Evans from BAE Systems PLC, made the decision to start Air Astana in September 2001 and set the course for Fly Arystan in November 2018. I firmly believe that we will continue their vision of being a safe, service-oriented, profitable, sustainable and ethical airline group, "said Peter Foster, President & CEO of Air Astana. "I would like to thank our customers who fly with us and all employees for their excellent performance."