Against the backdrop of the strong recovery of the global aviation market and the deepening and implementation of the the Belt and Road Initiative, the heat of economic and trade exchanges between China and Kazakhstan is continuously transforming into the speed of air transport. According to relevant statistical data, between 2023 and 2024, the bilateral trade volume between China and Kazakhstan will increase by over 20% year-on-year, and the demand for cross-border personnel mobility will surge, driving the overall international flight volume in Central Asia to recover to over 110% of pre pandemic levels. Faced with the increasingly strong demand for business and tourism, the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan is accelerating the implementation of the aviation industry development plan for 2025-2029, with expanding the Chinese market as its core strategy.

The Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan officially announced on January 28, 2026 that Air Astana will open regular round-trip flights from Almaty to Shanghai starting from March 29, 2026. The route plans to operate three flights per week (Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday). This strategic layout is not only an important achievement of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Transport in continuously expanding the international route network and increasing flight density in recent years, but also marks a new deepening stage of air connectivity between Kazakhstan and China.

The operation of this new route will directly promote the quantitative improvement of air transportation capacity between the two countries. With the addition of Astana Airlines, the total number of regular flights between Kazakhstan and China will increase from the current 81 flights per week to 84 flights per week. The steady growth of transportation capacity has provided a more convenient air channel for in-depth exchanges between the two sides in areas such as economic and trade exchanges, business investment, and tourism, which is expected to inject new vitality into the cooperation between the two countries. Keywords: air transportation, international

It is worth noting that before the opening of Astana Airlines, China Eastern Airlines had already taken the lead in laying out this route. On July 4, 2025, China Eastern Airlines has launched a direct flight service from Shanghai to Almaty, also operating three flights per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) and operated by Airbus A321 models. With the addition of Astana Airlines in the future, the flight schedules of the two airlines will complement each other, jointly building an efficient aviation bridge connecting the economic centers of China and Kazakhstan.Editor/Cheng Liting