OREANDA-NEWS. March 25, 2011. Air Astana will take delivery of the first of three leased Embraer E-190 airliners at the end of March. The aircraft  have been selected to increase domestic and regional services from Almaty, the carrier’s hub for Central Asia. The aircraft is configured with 98 seats in a 2 class configuration and will operate alongside the existing fleet of Airbus A320 Family aircraft on this network and gradually replace the fleet of Fokker 50 turboprops on low density routes, reported the press-centre of Air Astana.

The first Embraer E-190 will operate on domestic routes from Almaty to Karaganda, Pavlodar,  Aktau and Atyrau, as well as on regional routes from Almaty to Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan and Bishkek, capital of Kyrgystan. The second aircraft will arrive in May and will be used to open up new routes from Almaty to Tbilisi, capital of Georgia and Samara in southern Russia. A third aircraft will be delivered in 2012.

The Embraer 190 was selected for its advanced design, passenger comfort and operating efficiency, with low maintenance costs and fuel burn. The twin engine jet is optimised for medium range flights, with a maximum capability of flying 4,500 km.