AIR ASTANA CELEBRATES FOURTEENTH ANNIVERSARY

Saturday 28th May 2016

Air Astana, the award winning flag carrier of Kazakhstan is celebrating 14 years of successful and safe operation this month. During the past 12 months, the airline reported a record increase in net profits for 2015; launched new services to Georgia, South Korea and the UK; signed codeshare agreements with Air France-KLM, Bangkok Airways and Hong Kong Airlines; launched the innovative MyUpgrade product and received a series of Skytrax 4 Star Awards for the fourth successive year. Over the first four months of 2016, Air Astana has carried more than one million passengers and almost 4,000 tons of cargo, with operational revenue exceeding US$170 million.

Air Astana already operates one of the youngest fleets in the world, with existing Airbus A320, Embraer 190 and Boeing 757/767 aircraft having an average age of only seven years. The airline will take delivery of the first of eleven Airbus A320 Neo aircraft during the second half of 2016. Another new aircraft innovation appearing later this year will be the introduction of onboard Wi-Fi on the Boeing 767 fleet. The airline's existing network of 64 routes is destined to grow with the launch of a new service from Almaty to Tehran, capital of Iran, during the second half of 2016.

Air Astana's ab-initio pilot training scheme continues to be a tremendous success, with almost 170 pilots having graduated since the programme was launched in 2009 and the first of these cadets having made it through to Captain status. On the engineering side, a new Aircraft Technical Service Centre will open in Astana before the end of 2016.

"Air Astana has enjoyed another remarkably successful and safe year of operations. For that, I must sincerely thank every one of our dedicated 4,600 staff, who consistently deliver the very highest standard of service to our passengers and ensure that we remain the region's leading carrier, " said Peter Foster, President of Air Astana.

Air Astana is a joint venture between Kazakhstan's national wealth fund, Samruk Kazyna, and BAE Systems from the UK, with respective shares of 51% and 49%.

www.airastana.com