Kazakhstan is set to grow its burgeoning network of aviation routes in Europe, signalled by the completion of key agreements in recent days with Austrian and European Commission officials.

Background

The Kazakh journey to better air connectivity has been long. All airlines from the Central Asian Republic, except flag carrier Air Astana, were prohibited from flying to the European Union in 2009, over poor compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, and, even then, Air Astana’s routes were restricted.

A push on alignment with safety regulations succeeded in convincing the EU to reverse the ban in 2016, only for 2019’s Bek Air disaster to prompt further concerns. The EU finally lifted its embargo on Kazakh airlines in May 2024.

Legal basis for flying to all EU countries established

Since then, work has been underway on reaching a so-called “Horizontal Agreement” between Kazakhstan and European Union member states, a legal protocol covering cooperation between competitors on key areas such as research and development, production and purchasing, commercialisation and standards, and information sharing.

Saltanat Tompiyeva, Kazakhstan’s Civil Aviation Committee Chair and European Commission aviation policy officer, Simon Brain, met in Luxembourg last week to rubberstamp the plans, the potential impact of which is not to be underestimated and has been hailed by the Kazakh government.

“This procedure is the final step in preparing the agreement for signing and is the legal basis for all EU countries in opening direct flights to Kazakhstan in the future,” the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on 15 October. “It also strengthens the cooperation between Kazakhstan and the countries of the European Union in terms of air traffic development.”

New links to Austria, Greece, Germany, Hungary, and Latvia

That development includes plans for two new non-stop weekly SCAT Airlines flights into Vienna, Austria, announced during a Kazakhstan-Austria Business Council summit in early October. Sights are also set on direct routes to Greece, the Hungarian capital Budapest, and Latvia’s Riga. SCAT Airlines passenger traffic is up on average, the company website says, by 40%.

In fact, Kazakh and foreign airlines operate 778 weekly flights to 132 destinations in 32 countries, according to the Astana Times. On top of the new routes in the pipeline, the existing European range of 34 weekly air links to the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland is set to expand too. In just two examples, Munich looks ripe for another connection; and new facilitative visa arrangements were agreed in August by SCAT Airlines and the Embassy of the Czech Republic.