Kazakhstan's flag carrier Air Astana will increase flights from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to both Almaty and Astana from late August, while the country's low-cost carrier FlyArystan is preparing to launch the first direct service between Almaty and Chongqing, as China-Kazakhstan aviation links shift from establishing basic connectivity to building a denser multi-city network.
From Aug 23, Air Astana will increase its Guangzhou-Astana service to three flights per week from two, followed by an increase in Guangzhou-Almaty services to daily flights from five a week starting Aug 28, the carrier said on Friday. That will take its services between Guangzhou and Kazakhstan to 10 flights per week and its total China schedule to 41 weekly flights during the 2026 summer-autumn season.
Kazakhstan's low-cost carrier Fly-Arystan will launch direct flights between Almaty and Chongqing in September, becoming the first Kazakh airline to serve the route.
The twice-weekly service will begin on Sept 23 using Airbus A320 aircraft, marking the carrier's fifth China route and the first nonstop connection between Kazakhstan and Chongqing, the airline said on July 22.
"The launch of flights to Chongqing reflects our commitment to steadily expanding FlyArystan's international network," said Johan Eidhagen, president and CEO of Fly-Arystan, adding that the airline selected the city due to strong passenger demand, fleet capacity and the route's long-term commercial potential.
