Air Astana expands in Mideast

The route is served by Airbus A320 aircraft in a two class layout — 16 business class and 132 economy seats with lead in economy class return fares starting at Dh1,745/£297 including all taxes.

Dubai — Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s award winning flag carrier, has bolstered its presence in the Middle East with the recent inauguration of direct daily flights to Almaty International Airport from Dubai International Airport.

The route is served by Airbus A320 aircraft in a two class layout — 16 business class and 132 economy seats with lead in economy class return fares starting at Dh1,745/£297 including all taxes. Almaty is complemented by Air Astana’s four times weekly services from the capital Astana to Abu Dhabi which have been operating since 2010. Daily schedule: Departs ALA: 07:40, arrives DXB: 10:25; departs DXB:11:25, arrives ALA: 17:40.

Peter Foster, president and CEO of Air Astana, was in to Dubai recently to formally mark the commencement of the route and highlighted: “This is the right time to recommence our services to Almaty. Importantly, with our new Visa Waiver Programme in place now for UAE travellers, we anticipate that Almaty will become an increasingly popular destination.”