About us
Air Astana was incorporated in late 2001 and its maiden flight was on the 15th May 2002.
The inaugural was attended by President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Sir Richard Evans representing the two shareholders, the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and BAE Systems PLC of the UK.
These shareholders remain committed partners in the airline, with the Government holding a 51 percent share through its Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund, and BAE Systems PLC holding 49 percent.
Operating to the highest standards
Air Astana has European Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) Part 145 approval to maintain its fleet in accordance with EASA requirements.
In May 2021 Air Astana successfully completed the International Air Transport Associations' Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) for the 8th time. In March 2019 Air Astana completed the renewal EASA Third Country Operators (TCO) certification audit with zero findings. The airline is also certified as an EASA Part 147 Training Organization.
Growing the fleet
Today Air Astana Group operates a fleet of 44+ western aircraft with an average age of 4,7 years. It operates over 80 domestic and international routes. Its passengers are served by more than 6, 000 highly qualified staff, the majority of whom are from Kazakhstan, supplemented by skilled foreign personnel. Since autumn 2005 the Air Astana team has been headed by Peter Foster, an airline executive with more than 30 years of management experience.
In May 2019 we successfully launched FlyArystan, the region's first truly low-cost carrier.