Boeing 787 Delay Postpones Air Astana's U.S. Launch

Kazakhstan’s Air Astana may delay the launch of direct air services with the U.S. due to the late arrival of its new Boeing 787 widebody passenger jets.

The deliveries were previously scheduled to start at the end of 2025, but have slipped to mid-2026, the airline’s CEO Peter Foster told journalists on April 10.

"Unfortunately, the delivery is delayed due to the general issues Boeing is currently facing," Forbes Kazakhstan cited him saying.

Air Astana agreed to lease three 787-9s from Air Lease Corporation in 2022, with deliveries in 2025-26. Kazakhstan’s largest carrier planned to use the new widebodies for launching direct flights to New York from 2026.

The carrier's widebody capacity now comprises only three 767-300ERs, which do not have enough range for transatlantic flights from Central Asia. The only airline which flies to New York from this region is Uzbekistan Airways, which operates smaller 787-8s on the route.

The U.S. FAA conducted a preliminary audit in Kazakhstan, including a visit to Air Astana in August 2024. This marked a first step on the way to obtaining FAA Category 1 status, which will allow Kazakh airlines to launch direct flights to the U.S.

Air Astana also considered using the new 787-9s to launch another long-haul service, to Tokyo from spring 2026. In 2024, it signed a codeshare agreement with Japan Airlines (JAL) which will allow the Kazakh carrier to place its code on domestic flights operated by JAL from Tokyo to Fukuoka, Nagoya, Okinawa, Osaka and Sapporo. JAL will place its code on the Almaty-Tokyo service, as well as domestic services from Almaty to Astana and Atyrau.

Foster confirmed that the first flight from Kazakhstan's capital Almaty to Tokyo is scheduled for March 28, 2026. The airline will use Airbus A321LR narrowbodies with additional fuel tanks on the route, he said.