Air Astana, the flag carrier of Kazakhstan, is destined to become one of the largest A320neo Family operators in Central Asia and CIS over the next three years. The airline became the first operator of this type in the region in 2016 and the fleet will grow to 17 aircraft by 2020. Air Astana will then operate six A320neo, seven A321neo and four A321neoLR types. All aircraft will be acquired on an operating lease basis in accordance with agreements that were signed for 11 aircraft in 2015 and six aircraft in 2017.

The delivery of the new generation A320neo Family aircraft will allow for an overall increase of capacity by up to 40% over the next three years. The A320neo and A321neo will operate on domestic and medium haul destinations, whilst the A321neoLR has the capability to operate long-range services from Almaty and Astana to destinations in Asia and Europe. As well as boosting frequencies on existing routes, the aircraft will also be deployed on new services to CIS and South Asia.

“Air Astana has plans to grow the fleet to more than 60 aircraft over the next 10 years and we look forward to becoming one of the largest A320neo Family operators in the region,” said Peter Foster, President and CEO of Air Astana. “The existing fleet of A320 aircraft has been a great success in service for many years and the A320neo Family now offers further improvements in terms of passenger comfort and cost efficiency.”