Kazakh flag carrier Air Astana is marking the 20th anniversary of operating Airbus aircraft.
Air Astana Group’s fleet is predominantly made up of Airbus aircraft. The carrier’s Airbus A320, delivered in February 2006, was the first one to join the fleet, and Air Astana says that since then the fleet has grown to almost 60 aircraft in service today. An acquisition of 25 more Airbus A320 family aircraft has also been approved by the shareholders.
Air Astana placed its first direct order for Airbus aircraft in 2008, with the new fleet being delivered in 2012/13. This was the first Airbus direct order from a Kazakhstan-based carrier, since the country became independent in 1991.
The airline introduced its first Airbus A320neo into service in November 2016, becoming one of the early adopters worldwide to transition to a new-generation aircraft.
The carrier introduced its first Airbus A321LR in September 2019 which has enhanced Air Astana’s capability to operate long-haul services with narrowbody aircraft. Air Astana says that its A321LR aircraft currently operate one of the world’s longest non-stop narrowbody routes between Almaty and London, which takes around nine hours.
