Air Astana

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Air Astana
IATA
KC		 ICAO
KZR		 Callsign
ASTANALINE
Founded 14 September 2001
Hubs Almaty International Airport
Astana International Airport
Frequent flyer program Nomad Club
Fleet size 19
Destinations 26
Company slogan From the Heart of Eurasia
Headquarters Almaty, Kazakhstan
Key people Peter Foster
Website: http://www.airastana.com/

Air Astana is an airline based in Astana, Kazakhstan. It is the national carrier of Kazakhstan and operates scheduled domestic and international services. Its main bases are Astana International Airport and Almaty International Airport[1]. Air Astana is the main sponsor of the Astana Team, a professional road bicycle racing team.

Contents

[edit] History

The airline was established on 14 September 2001 and started operations on 15 May 2002. Air Astana leased its first three Boeing 737 aircraft in May 2002. Three Boeing 757s were added and in 2004 five Fokker 50s were acquired, the latter to largely develop the domestic network. It became the national carrier after the government closed Air Kazakhstan in February 2004 and transferred all route authorities to Air Astana. It is a joint venture owned by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (51%) and BAE Systems (49%). It has 1,761 employees (at March 2007)[1]. The airline recently entered partnership with Lufthansa expanding flight offering for the passengers of both airlines.

[edit] Destinations

Air Astana operates the following destinations (as of January 2008):

Air Astana Boeing 757 aircraft
Air Astana Boeing 757 aircraft
Air Astana Airbus-320 aircraft at Aktau Airport
Air Astana Airbus-320 aircraft at Aktau Airport

[edit] Asia

Central Asia
East Asia
Southeast Asia
South Asia
Southwest Asia

[edit] Europe

Eastern Europe
Western Europe

[edit] Fleet

The Air Astana fleet includes the following aircraft (as of 24 May 2008)[2] :

Air Astana Fleet
Aircraft Total Passengers
(Business*/Economy)		 Notes
Airbus A320-232 6 148 (16/132) (6 Orders)[3]
Airbus A321-231 2 176 (28/148)
Boeing 757-200 4 170 (20/150)
Boeing 767-300 2 220 (30/190)
Fokker 50 5 50

Air Astana introduced its first wide-bodied aircraft in 2007. Lease deals had been agreed for two Boeing 767-300 and one Airbus A330 aircraft, all for delivery during 2007. It introduced four Airbus A320 aircraft and finalised a deal for two Airbus A321 aircraft for December 2006 delivery. Its Boeing 737 and Boeing 757 aircraft will be retired.

According to Air Astana CEO, Peter Foster, at a series of Press calls in Almaty in December 2006, the airline would increase its fleet from 15 to 22 planes in 2007.[4]

The airline is to lease a further two Airbus A320 aircraft from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) for delivery in May and June 2008 on six-year leases.[5]

[edit] Previously operated

The three aircraft above were acquired by Air Berlin in December 2006[6]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines", Flight International, 2007-03-27, p. 52. 
  2. ^ Air Astana Fleet. CH-Aviation (June 2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-15.
  3. ^ Air Astana signs a firm order for six A320s Airbus Press Centre, 11/06/2008
  4. ^ 7DAYS
  5. ^ "Airbus A320s leased", Airliner World, July 2007, p. 11. 
  6. ^ Aircraft acquired by Air Berlin. CH-Aviation (2006-12-13). Retrieved on 2007-06-15.
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Airlines of Kazakhstan

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