Air Astana
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| Founded | 14 September 2001 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 15 May 2002 | ||||||
| Hubs | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Air Astana Nomad Club | ||||||
| Alliance | none | ||||||
| Subsidiaries | none | ||||||
| Fleet size | 25 (+9 orders +2 opt) | ||||||
| Destinations | 54 (23 domestic, 31 international) | ||||||
| Parent company | Government owned (51%) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Almaty, Kazakhstan | ||||||
| Key people | Peter Foster (President) | ||||||
| Website | www.airastana.com | ||||||
Air Astana is the flag carrier and the national airline of Kazakhstan with its head office in Almaty.[1] It is the national carrier of Kazakhstan and operates scheduled domestic and international services. Its main bases are Astana International Airport and Almaty International Airport.[2] Air Astana previously was one of the sponsors of the Astana Team, a professional road bicycle racing team.[3]
History
Air Astana leased its first three Boeing 737s in May 2002. Three Boeing 757s were added and in 2004 five Fokker 50s were acquired, the latter to largely develop the domestic network. It became the national carrier after the government closed Air Kazakhstan in February 2004 and transferred all route authorities to Air Astana. It is a joint venture owned by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (51%) and BAE Systems (49%). As of March 2010, Air Astana has 3,000 employees.[2] The airline recently entered a partnership with Lufthansa, expanding flight offering for the passengers of both airlines.
Borat Safety Video
In 2006, the airline filmed a new safety video featuring Borat Sagdiyev with music by Korki Butchek. Sagdiyev stars in the Goofus and Gallant style presentation with correct use of seatbelts, the oxygen mask, and brace position portrayed by Azamat Bagatov and compares it with incorrect usage by an unnamed Uzbekistan individual.
Destinations
Air Astana serves 15 domestic and 23 international destinations. Recently-opened[vague] routes to Bishkek, Baku, Novosibirsk and Kuala Lumpur improved its regional route network. Service frequencies were also increased to Bangkok, Frankfurt, Istanbul and Moscow.[4]
Codeshare agreements
Air Astana has codeshare agreements with the following carriers (as of 19 December 2011[update]):[5]
Asiana Airlines (Star Alliance)
Austrian Airlines (Star Alliance)
Etihad Airways
KLM (SkyTeam)
Rossiya
In addition to these code share agreements Air Astana also partners Lufthansa's frequent flyer programme Miles & More.[6]
Fleet
The Air Astana fleet consists the following aircraft (at 15 March 2010):[7]
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A319-132 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 114 | 126 | Deliveries: 2011-2012[8] |
| Airbus A320-232 | 7 | 16 | 132 | 148 | ||
| Airbus A321-231 | 2 | — | 28 | 148 | 176 | |
| Boeing 757-200 | 4 | — | 20 | 150 | 170 | Equipped with winglets |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 2 | — | 30 | 190 | 220 | |
| Fokker 50 | 6 | — | — | 50 | 50 | |
| Embraer 190 | 3 | 1+2opt | 9 | 88 | 97 | |
| Total | 26 | 8+2 opt | ||||
Air Astana introduced its first wide-body aircraft in 2007. Lease deals had been agreed for two Boeing 767-300 and one Airbus A330 aircraft, the 767 were the only wide-bodies delivered. It introduced four Airbus A320 aircraft and finalised a deal for two Airbus A321 aircraft which were delivered by December 2006. Its Boeing 737 has been retired in favour of the Airbus aircraft.
The airline has leased a further two Airbus A320s from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), which were delivered in May and June 2008 on six-year leases.[9]
Air Astana took delivery of its first Airbus A319 aircraft, this has been the only A319 ordered by the airline.
Air Astana had made commitments for the orders of 3 Boeing 787-8s to be delivered by 2012. In October 2009, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Boeing 787 expired with no firm order being placed.[10]
It has placed an order for six further Airbus A319 [11] aircraft with deliveries due to commence in 2012.
On August 1 2011 Air Astana signed a contract for purchasing 2 more Embraer 190 jet + 2 options (delivery to begin first semester 2012). It already leased 2 E-190 + 2 more leased jets to be delivered by 2012. Air Astana plans an increase in its fleet to 43 planes by 2022. [12]
Previously operated
The three aircraft below have been operated by Air Astana and were acquired by Air Berlin in December 2006.[13]
- 2x Boeing 737-700
- 1x Boeing 737-800
See also
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References
- ^ "Head Office." Air Astana. Retrieved on 21 December 2010. "Registered office 4A, Zakarpatskaya Street Almaty, 050039 Kazakhstan"
- ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 27 March 2007. p. 52.
- ^ "Astana cycling team sponsors".
- ^ "Flag Carrier remains on track for long-term development despite challenging conditions".
- ^ Air Astana codeshare agreements
- ^ Miles and More – a partnership with Lufthansa
- ^ "Air Astana Fleet". CH-Aviation. 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Air Astana signs a firm order for six A320s Airbus Press Centre, 11/06/2008
- ^ "Airbus A320s leased". Airliner World. July 2007. p. 11.
- ^ http://www.atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=18243
- ^ {url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Airbus_A320_orders}
- ^ {url=http://airastana.com/kaz/en/news/air-astana-acquires-embraer-jets.aspx}
- ^ "Aircraft acquired by Air Berlin". CH-Aviation. 13 December 2006. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
External links
