Air Astana has signed a codeshare agreement with Japan Airlines (JAL) as it gears up to launch a new route between Kazakhstan and Japan.
Flights connecting Almaty and Tokyo are expected to commence in spring 2026, becoming the sole nonstop scheduled service linking the two countries. Details of the planned schedule will be announced at a later date.
The codeshare agreement will allow JAL to place its code on the Almaty-Tokyo service, as well as domestic services in Kazakhstan from Almaty to Astana and Atyrau. In turn, Air Astana will place its code on flights operated by JAL from Tokyo to Fukuoka, Nagoya, Okinawa, Osaka and Sapporo.
The partnership marks an expansion of JAL’s network into Central Asia, a region where it previously had no presence. “We will contribute to further enhancement of over 30 years of diplomatic relationship between Japan and Kazakhstan, through developing passenger and cargo traffic,” JAL CEO Mitsuko Tottori says.
The market between Kazakhstan and Japan has been served in the past, with SCAT Airlines flying up to twice a week between Astana and Tokyo Narita Airport between July 2019 and March 2020. However, the countries have remained unserved nonstop since the onset of the pandemic.
According to Sabre Market Intelligence data, O&D traffic between Kazakhstan and Japan totaled 24,800 two-way passengers in 2023, compared with 21,200 in 2019. Almaty-Tokyo was the largest city pair last year, accounting for 68% of the traffic between the countries.
Meanwhile, Air Astana also plans to open a new route to Saudi Arabia in September, operating Shymkent to Jeddah twice a week using Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline already serves Jeddah from Almaty.
Fellow Kazakh carrier SCAT is also increasing its international network later this year, with the Kazakh Transport Ministry saying service between Shymkent and Xi’an, China, will begin on Nov. 1.
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