• Air Astana and China Southern Airlines have signed a joint venture (JV) agreement to strengthen air connectivity between Kazakhstan and China, expand travel opportunities and deliver greater convenience and choice for passengers.
• The agreement marks the first airline joint venture between the two countries, building on the airlines’ established codeshare partnership and creating a platform for deeper commercial cooperation.
• Under the agreement, the two airlines will work together to coordinate flight schedules, expand codeshare services and undertake joint marketing initiatives.

Air Astana and China Southern Airlines have signed a joint venture (JV) agreement to strengthen air connectivity between Kazakhstan and China, expand travel opportunities and deliver greater convenience and choice for passengers. The agreement marks the first airline joint venture between the two countries, building on the airlines’ established codeshare partnership and creating a platform for deeper commercial cooperation.

Under the agreement, the two airlines will work together to coordinate flight schedules, expand codeshare services and undertake joint marketing initiatives. By bringing their respective networks and commercial frameworks closer together, the partnership aims to make journeys across both airlines more straightforward, with more consistent conditions of travel, smoother transfers and greater access to destinations across Kazakhstan, China and beyond.

“The number of flights between our countries has increased by 52 per cent compared with the same period in 2025 (117 scheduled flights per week across 21 routes). Since the start of 2026, more than one million passengers have been carried. The Ministry plans to further expand the route network with China, increasing it to 30 destinations,” said Talgat Lastayev, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

“China is a strategically important market for Air Astana, and Kazakhstan is well positioned as a gateway connecting Europe and Asia. Our joint venture with China Southern Airlines represents an important step in developing this role and deepening our commercial relationship with one of China’s leading carriers. By combining our complementary networks and aligning key aspects of our commercial offering, we aim to provide passengers with greater choice, more convenient connections and more consistent conditions and rules across both airlines. At the same time, closer cooperation will enable us to respond more effectively to passenger demand and support the continued growth of air travel between Kazakhstan and China,” said Richard Ledger, VP, Partnerships and Alliances of Air Astana.

“China and Kazakhstan are important partners under the Belt and Road framework. This joint venture is a substantive achievement in aviation connectivity between the two countries and reflects our shared aspiration for a prosperous regional market. For both airlines, this is a strategic choice that leverages our respective strengths and shares resources. For passengers, the most tangible benefit is greater convenience: more flight options, smoother transfer procedures, and a more seamless travel experience. We hope every passenger journeying along the Belt and Road’s air routes will feel the difference this cooperation brings,” Zeng Yongchao, EVP of China Southern Airlines stated.

Air Astana operates flights from Astana and Almaty to Urumqi, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, offering up to 36 weekly regular return flights during the peak season. China Southern Airlines operates flights from Urumqi, Beijing, Guangzhou and Xi’an to Almaty and Astana, offering up to 29 weekly regular return flights during the peak season. Together, the airlines provide an extensive network of services between the two countries, creating a strong foundation for further improvements in connectivity, travel convenience and passenger choice.

Moving times at Air Astana

The partnership will support the development of business, tourism, education and family travel between the two countries, while strengthening connectivity for passengers connecting onwards through Kazakhstan and China to destinations across the airlines’ respective networks.

This news comes as Air Astana’s results show an increase in revenue, despite profit loss.

Air Astana’s financial results until September this year (first three quarters) show an increase in revenue by 17.9 percent despite EDITBAR decreasing 5.7 percent to USD 247.3 million (9M 2025: USD 262.2 million). EBITDAR margin was
4.8pp lower at 19.1 percent (9M 2025: 23.9 percent).

“The Air Astana Group delivered top-line growth of 20.6 percent YoY in Q3 2026, marking a continued acceleration in revenue growth. While cost pressures continue to impact the Group, as they do the broader aviation sector, Q3 saw improvement in the RASK/CASK growth differential for the third consecutive quarter. Unit revenues rose by 16.0 percent in the quarter with disciplined capacity growth, reflecting persistently strong demand conditions and the success of our dynamic capacity allocation model in the ‘New Normal’. A combination of factors including international fuel prices drove an increase in unit costs. These headwinds were partially offset by our focus on increasing domestic fuel uplift in the quarter to 75 percent (+4pts YoY). There remains some disruption and costs associated with the Pratt & Whitney engine issue, but we had five fewer aircraft grounded in the period versus Q3 last year. As noted at H1, we expect zero groundings in peak season 2027,” Ibrahim Canliel, CEO of Air Astana, commented.

“Volatility in the Gulf remains, however, our ability to adjust our network across both brands has allowed us to capitalise on the increased demand for East-West transit flows through Kazakhstan and to continue the international expansion of our network. In Q3, Group capacity to China nearly doubled YoY, while capacity to India increased by 23 percent. The number of new routes introduced in 2026 reached 24. We recorded 4 percent YoY capacity growth in Q3 – the strongest quarter this year. Q3 also marked the first quarter where we have seen improvements in engine availability which we see as the basis for near term growth. Network expansion continued this summer with Air Astana announcing a flagship route to Tokyo plus new routes to Langkawi, Salalah and Bangkok, while FlyArystan announced new services to Chongqing, Xian, Urumchi, Urgench, Yining and the resumption of Yerevan services. Together, these developments broaden our reach  cross key business and leisure markets.Last quarter we discussed how improved engine availability would drive utilisation of our existing fleet, and growth. In Q3 we have seen that in real time with increases in capacity, new route launches, and international expansion. We are optimistic this trend will continue and we look to the future with confidence.”

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