Air Astana is the national airline of Kazakhstan and the backbone of Central Asian commercial aviation. Founded in 2001 and launching its first flight in May 2002, it was created as a joint venture between the Government of Kazakhstan and BAE Systems to establish a world-class carrier linking Kazakhstan with the region and beyond.

It operates scheduled domestic, regional and international passenger and cargo services out of its primary hub at Almaty International Airport, with secondary hubs including Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport 

Air Astana has carved out a reputation for reliability, a modern fleet, and strong compliance with international safety standards — consistently earning high safety ratings and industry recognition.

The airline serves more than 60 destinations across Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, blending domestic connectivity with long-haul reach.

Air Astana’s operations sit alongside FlyArystan, its low-cost subsidiary launched in 2019 to capture domestic and regional leisure traffic, but the full-service brand remains the group’s flagship for wider international markets.