Air Astana has made Paris CDG its newest destination in Western Europe, with the launch on 29 March of thrice-weekly flights from the Kazakh capital Astana (TSE). The route will be flown by the airline’s B757s. Air Astana already serves Frankfurt and London Heathrow with its 757s.

“The new service to Paris is a major step in developing Air Astana’s European network and serves to strengthen economic, diplomatic, cultural and tourism links between France and Kazakhstan,” said Peter Foster, president of Air Astana.

The start of the summer season also saw the airline start a new domestic route from Astana to Uralsk (URA). This route is operated using a mix of the airline’s A320s and E190s. Air Astana already serves Uralsk with daily flights from the country’s former capital in Almaty.