ASTANA, Kazakhstan, March 29. The modern airport will be built on the territory of the Khorgos-Eastern Gate free economic zone in Kazakhstan's Zhetysu region, Trend reports, citing the regional executive power.
The construction of the airport will be implemented by SKYMAX TEHNOLOGIES Group of Companies LLP and the German Hansa Consortium. The joint Kazakh-German project will be implemented in three stages, attracting 250 billion tenge (about $557 million) of investment and creating 700 jobs.
It is expected that the capacity will be 50,000 tons of cargo, and the passenger terminal capacity will be up to 500 people per hour.
As stated during a meeting with investors by the head of the region, Beibit Isabayev, the Zhetysu region has high transit potential.
"Today, 56 participants with projects with a total value of over 800 billion tenge (about $1.78 billion) are registered in the unified register of the free economic zone "Khorgos-Eastern Gate". One of the key elements of the FEZ is the KTZE-Khorgos Gateway dry port. This is the largest dry port in Central Asia, with an area of almost 103 hectares, which is a unique alternative to maritime logistics hubs. At the same time, this is the only terminal in Kazakhstan that has its own railway infrastructure," he said.
In addition, Beibit Isabayev pointed out that the necessary government support for the implementation of the project will be provided.
In turn, General Director of SKYMAX TEHNOLOGIES Group of Companies LLP, Erik Shortanbayev, noted that the project will be fully completed by 2032. "The airport itself is scheduled to begin operations in 2027," he said.
According to him, the project will be implemented in three stages. "During the first stage of the project, it is planned to build the entire basic infrastructure of the airport. And at the second and third stages, we will complete the construction of additional infrastructure, expand the throughput of the passenger terminal, and increase the capacity of cargo and fuel warehouses. By the way, modern Jet A-1 fuel will be used for aircraft," he noted.
At the end of the meeting, the parties signed a memorandum of cooperation.