KAZAKHSTAN: Kazakh Air Launches First Domestic Flights

Kazakh Air, the new regional airline of the Republic of Kazakhstan inaugurated on August 28 its business with its first regional flight between Astana and Almaty, Kazinform reports the local newspaper.

Owned entirely by Samruk Kazyna sovereign wealth fund (which also owns 51% of the national airline Air Astana) Kazakh Air now has a fleet of three Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 leased Falcon Aviation Services in the United Arab Emirates. They allowed him to inaugurate since 28 August, several domestic routes: from Almaty in daily flight to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, and from Almaty to Pavlodar and Shymkent It provides short-term in its network a dozen routes, including lines that are not operated to date by other carriers.

Its role is to supply the international network of Air Astana. It should also be noted that small airports across the country can not accommodate the fleet of Air Astana especially since it has retired its Fokker 50 turboprop aircraft.

The fleet of Air Astana to date consists of 30 aircraft (13 aircraft of the A320 family, 5 B757-200, B767-300ER 3 and 9 Embraer E190). In particular in order 3 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to be delivered from 2017. Meanwhile, Qazaq Air, founded only in April 2015, expects to have more long-term or other bases qu'Almaty Astana, could total up 10 Bombardier Dash 8-Q400.