Air Astana to begin direct flights between Almaty and Guangzhou in March 2025  

Coming less than a week after Air Astana announced new direct flights between Kazakhstan to Nha Trang in Vietnam starting March 31, 2025, the carrier has also revealed plans to establish a new link between Almaty Airport (ALA) and Guangzhou in China to commence on March 30, 2025. The new service will expand the airline’s reach into China, with the company already operating regular flights to Beijing and Urumqi.  

Air Astana will deploy its fleet of Airbus A321LRs to operate the new services to Guangzhou-Baiyun International Airport (CAN), of which the carrier currently operates 12 aircraft. The route length of 2,478 miles (3,965 km) is well within the type’s range while its two-class cabin configuration seating 166 passengers will offer both business class and economy class travel options.  

Flights will depart Almaty three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, with the departure time from Almaty set at 20:50 and arrival in Guangzhou at 05:45 the following day. The return flights will depart Guangzhou at 06:50 to arrive in Almaty at 10:20.

GCmap.com“China has always been a strategically important market for Air Astana, with strong business and leisure traffic growth since the first service was launched between Astana and Beijing more than 20 years ago,” said Peter Foster, Chief Executive of Air Astana. “The launch of the new service to Guangzhou represents a very significant step in expanding Air Astana’s China network.”

According to an Air Astana statement, “Guangzhou is the largest industrial center in China, a global leader in the textile industry, and an important economic and cultural hub with a history spanning more than 2,000 years. The city is located just 75 miles  (120 km) northwest of Hong Kong.”

In addition to the new Guangzhou services, Air Astana currently operates seven weekly flights between Almaty and Beijing and four weekly flights between Almaty and Urumqi. Adding to the attractiveness of the airline’s expanding China route network, Kazakhstan citizens can currently travel in China for up to 30 days without a visa.

Vladimir Tretyakov / ShutterstockAir Astana is currently on an upward growth trajectory, with new routes and new aircraft entering the fleet in 2025. According to ch-aviation, Air Astana operates a fleet of 31 aircraft (which does not include those operating for its low-cost arm,  FlyArystan). The Air Astana fleet comprises nine Airbus A320neos, three Airbus A321-200s, four A321neos, twelve A321LRs, and three Boeing 767-300s. The airline operates 60 routes to 37 destinations in 20 countries.

FlyArystan operates an all-Airbus fleet of 24 aircraft, including 13 A320-200s and 11 new-generation A320neos. It operates 41 routes to 21 destinations across eight countries.   

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