In the early morning of Almaty, CSA's kapok flowers stand next to Astana Airlines' blue and white fuselage on the apron. On October 30, 2026, the two airlines signed an agreement, marking the first joint venture between Kazakhstan and Chinese airlines, and bringing the skies between the two countries even closer.

The first joint venture landing

Astana Airlines and CSA signed a joint venture cooperation agreement on October 30, 2026, aimed at strengthening aviation connectivity between the two countries, expanding travel options, and enhancing passenger convenience. This agreement is reached on the basis of the existing code sharing cooperation between the two parties, providing a foundation for further strengthening commercial ties. According to the agreement, the two airlines will coordinate flight schedules, expand code sharing services, and implement joint marketing initiatives to simplify passenger travel, provide more convenient transfers, unify passenger service conditions and rules, and expand access to Kazakhstan, China, and other destinations by bringing networks and business models closer together.

Weaving a dense air route network

Targat Rastaev, Deputy Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan, said that since the beginning of 2026, more than 1 million passengers have been transported. The Ministry of Transport plans to further expand the route network to China, increasing the number of destinations to 30. Richard Ledger, Vice President of Astana Airlines Alliance and Partnership, stated that China is a strategically significant market, and Kazakhstan is located between Europe and Asia. The cooperation with CSA will integrate the two complementary route networks, providing passengers with more travel options and more consistent service conditions. Zeng Yongchao, Deputy General Manager of CSA, said that China and Kazakhstan are important partners under the the Belt and Road framework. This joint venture is not only the substantive result of aviation connectivity between the two countries, but also the strategic choice of complementary advantages and resource sharing. Keywords: China Kazakhstan Airlines Joint Venture, Air Silk Road

At present, Astana Airlines operates flights from Astana and Almaty to Urumqi, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai, with a maximum of 36 regular flights per week during peak seasons, with one round-trip counted as one flight; CSA operates flights from Urumqi, Beijing Daxing, Guangzhou, Xi'an to Almaty, Astana, with a maximum of 29 regular flights per week during peak seasons, with one round-trip counted as one flight. This agreement will provide passengers with more flight options and easier transfers, as well as practical convenience for business, tourism, education, and family visits.Editor/Min Jing