Kazakhstan

Changi Airport Group (CAG) is exploring opportunities to participate in airport development and management projects in Kazakhstan, particularly in its capital, Astana, as the Central Asian country seeks to strengthen its position as an aviation hub.

The Philippines and Kazakhstan have separately expanded their bilateral air service arrangements with Turkey, paving the way for more passenger capacity through Istanbul and a wider range of secondary gateways.

Kazakhstan and China have agreed to increase permitted scheduled passenger services between the two countries by more than 20%.

Five companies from four countries have submitted bids to develop the new KazSat-3R communication satellite.

AutoFlight demonstrates eVTOL in Kazakhstan as plans for air taxi network linking Almaty and Alatau City advance with private financing and foreign investment.

A decade after the project started, Russia debuts its Soyuz-5 launcher and awaits commercial customers.

Air Astana remains unsure of when it can launch its long-planned flights to the U.S. as the airline struggles with the availability of aircraft and airspace.

Kazakhstan’s SCAT increasingly sees the Boeing 737-9 as the method by which to foster growth over its network, as its route map expands to Northern Europe and Asia.

After more than a decade of suffering an erosion of its launch prowess, Russia is trying to make a comeback with the inaugural launch of a new Soyuz rocket.

VietJet is pushing ahead with plans to expand into Europe via Kazakhstan as it grapples with fuel supply disruptions and surging prices.

The Kazakh Air Assault Forces, and soon the rest of the army, will be equipped with hundreds of uncrewed systems in groups 1, 2 and 3 to give the troops on the ground enhanced surveillance and strike capabilities.

The latest news on airports globally, with updates on financing, infrastructure expansion and sustainability initiatives.

Kazakhstan’s Air Astana has firmed its largest ever direct aircraft order, covering 20 Airbus A321neos and five A320neos, a deal first announced last November.

Russia’s first commercial space launch of 2026 was also the last for the Proton-M variant with DM-03 booster.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that Russian air defenses unwittingly fired upon the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 that ended up crashing in Kazakhstan on Dec. 25 last year.

The Air Astana board of directors says its longtime CEO Peter Foster will retire from the position and from the board of directors at the end of March 2026.

Russia’s Progress MS-32 resupply mission is on course for a Sept. 13 automated docking with the seven-person International Space Station (ISS).

Airport Authority Hong Kong has signed memorandums of understanding with Uzbekistan Airports Joint Stock Company and Shymkent Airport in Kazakhstan.

Air Astana has reported strong network and capacity growth for the first half of 2025, overcoming headwinds caused by airspace closures.

The plan is to concentrate on the development of airports and ground infrastructure, with a focus on the establishment of a dedicated national cargo airline.

France is partnering with both Kazakhstan and Malaysia under two separate civil aviation cooperation agreements.

Russian satellite startup Bureau 1440 is poised to be the first customer for the Russo-Kazakh Soyuz-5 rocket, planned to launch before year-end.

Vietnamese LCC VietJet and Kazakhstan’s Qazaq Air are forming a new joint venture that will operate a fleet of at least 20 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

FAB accident investigation experts are extracting data from the flight recorders recovered from the Azerbaijan Airlines flight that crashed in Kazakhstan.