OREANDA-NEWS. May 20, 2010. Air Astana celebrates its 8th birthday. On 15th May 2002 the national air carrier completed its first flight from Almaty to Astana. Nursultan Nazarbayev, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Sir Richard Evans attended the inaugural flight, representing the two shareholders, the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and BAE Systems PLC, the British aviation and defence company, reported the press-centre of Air Astana.

On behalf of the airline’s management I would like to thank our passengers for choosing to fly with us, our staff for their great loyalty and contribution, our partners for such efficient cooperation and our shareholders for their trust in giving us the honour of representing civil aviation in Kazakhstan.

In numerology, the number eight is a symbol of eternity, wealth, abundance and prosperity. That is why 8 years of existence is a symbolic achievement for the company. Today Air Astana is a trusted, successful airline with a world renowned brand name and a good reputation as a serious partner, diligent tax payer, innovator of new technologies and a socially responsible company. Air Astana works hard for the development of civil aviation of Kazakhstan by operating a modern air fleet, and by supporting projects directed at the improvement of flight safety in  Kazakhstan. Air Astana truly holds the flagship of Kazakhstan aviation by providing its passengers with a reliable and convenient air transportation service. Looking to the future, we have ambitious plans for the growth and development of our business.

In 2010 we plan to open air services between Almaty and Urumqi, the business centre of western China, Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, and Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. In order to operate regional flights the airline selected the 94-seat new generation Embraer E-190 jet. The first of 3 E190s will be delivered at the beginning of 2011. Prior to that time these flights will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft. New routes will expand the existing route map from the present 21 domestic and 23 international destinations, currently operated by a fleet 22 Boeing, Airbus and Fokker aircraft.

The success of Air Astana is the success of all Kazakhstan citizens, not just of the 3000 men and women who work for the airline. We have received tremendous support from the wider community throughout these eight years for which we are deeply grateful. We will continue to do our best to provide the highest standards of service and safety in the years to come.