Air Astana delays US flights launch due to late Dreamliner arrival
Kazakhstan’s Air Astana has confirmed that the entry into service of its first Boeing 787-9 aircraft will be delayed by a few months, to the first quarter of 2026, at the earliest.
The Kazakh carrier was expecting to receive its new Dreamliners by the second half of 2025 in order to be able to launch its long anticipated nonstop services between the US and Kazakhstan. The ordering of the B787 is a momentous decision for Air Astana, which, at the moment, operates a fleet composed exclusively of narrow-body aircraft.
The arrival of the first of the three B787 Air Astana has on order is now expected towards the end of the 2025. The second and third aircraft should be delivered towards the end of 2026 and early 2027, respectively.
This is not the first time that the delivery of the B787s is postponed. The first aircraft was originally expected for early 2025, but in the summer of 2024 it became evident that the date had to be pushed back to late 2025. Air Astana’s CEO, Peter Foster, was quoted by local media attributing the delay to general production issues at Boeing, although he also noted that the US aircraft maker appeared to be addressing those issues positively and getting back in shape.
RELATED
Air Astana: How Central Asia’s largest airline is looking abroad for growth
In November 2022, Air Astana signed a lease agreement with Air Lease Corporation for three B787-9 aircraft in order to expand its route network to cover the US and Japan.
And while the US flights will now have to wait a bit longer, Air Astana has confirmed that it will go ahead with the launch of nonstop flights between Almaty (ALA) and Tokyo. Even if the Dreamliners have not arrived, Air Astana will use its A321LR with extended range in order to reach the Japanese capital.
Japan is a growth market for Air Astana, which also signed a codeshare agreement with Japan Airlines (JAL) in August 2024.
Air Astana, in cooperation with Airbus, completed recently the addition of extra fuel tanks to its A321LR fleets. This modification allows it to operate nonstop segments such as Almaty to London (LHR), which involves more than nine hours of flight.
RELATED
Air Astana completes first 12-year C-check, builds MRO capabilities: pictures
The post Air Astana delays US flights launch due to late Dreamliner arrival appeared first on AeroTime.
Kazakhstan’s Air Astana has confirmed that the entry into service of its first Boeing 787-9 aircraft will be…
The post Air Astana delays US flights launch due to late Dreamliner arrival appeared first on AeroTime.
