BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 30. The number of passengers carried by Kazakhstan's airlines increased by 17 percent and reached 11 million people in 2022, Marat Karabayev, Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development said at a government meeting, Trend reports.
According to the minister, the positive trend continues this year as well.
Meanwhile, aviation transit has been also growing at a rapid pace. In 2022 alone, 410,000 flights were operated, representing a remarkable 90 percent increase compared to 2021.
Currently, the country operates over 700 domestic flights per week across 56 routes and provides international transportation to 27 countries through 103 routes.
Moreover, nine additional destinations will be introduced this year, including Doha (Qatar), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Ankara (Türkiye), Karachi (Pakistan), Lahore (Pakistan), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Muscat (Oman), Prague (Czech Republic), and Tel Aviv (Israel).
By 2025, flights to Mumbai (India), Hong Kong (China), Vienna (Austria), Tokyo (Japan), Singapore (Singapore), New York (the US), and other cities are also planned.
Also, it was noted that Kazakhstan's flight safety compliance with international standards stands at an impressive 82 percent, the highest among CIS countries. The country ranks on par with EU nations such as Denmark and Poland.
In 2023, modernization is scheduled for the Shymkent, Almaty, Kyzylorda, and Kostanay airports.
Future plans for industry development include increasing the level of flight safety compliance to 90 percent, reconstructing all airport terminals, and completing the construction of new terminals at Shymkent and Almaty airports, among other initiatives.