Air Astana, the flag carrier of Kazakhstan, has signed a five-year ULD outsourcing contract with Jettainer. According to the agreement, Jettainer will take care of Air Astana’s entireULD requirements.

The recent launch of B767 and A321 operations coincides with Air Astana’s introduction of ULDs. While for many carriers ULD manageament is a major, often problematic legacy, Air Astana is able to outsource this non-core activity to Jettainer as a partner from the very beginning, thereby avoiding any need to invest in mobile assets, technology and human resources while retaining a flexible cost basis, Jettainer said in astatement.

“In line with our business strategy to strengthen our status as Central Asia’s leading international carrier, we focus on Air Astana’s two key goals: the expansion of our fleet and network, and the continual improvement of service to our customers”, Oliver Mathwich, Air Astana ground handling, explained. “The ongoing modernisation of our fleet is part of this strategy – just as the decision to rely on Jettainer for giving the airline the right mix of services and technology to support our operations,” Mathwich said.

Jettainer will handle the airline’s entire ULD operations for a monthly fee covering ULD supply chain management services including active stock management, repair and maintenance, tracking and tracing, management reporting and other fleet administration services.