Kazakhstan has gradually reopened its borders as Air Astana resumed direct flights to major cities, such as Seoul, Dubai, Frankfurt, Kyiv, and Istanbul. 

Following the resumption of Nur-Sultan–Frankfurt in August and the Uralsk–Frankfurt service, Air Astana will introduce direct flights from Almaty to Frankfurt starting on 2 October with two weekly flights, a press release confirmed. 

The frequencies will increase to three times a week from 26 October on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, which will be operated using Astana’s new Airbus A321LR. 

Economy class fares from Almaty to Frankfurt start at US$481 and the 16 business class seats are up for grabs at US$2,225, inclusive of governmental taxes, airport fees and charges.  

“I’m delighted to announce the boost to services between Kazakhstan and Germany, which deliver maximum connectivity with partner airlines across Europe and North America,” said Richard Ledger Air Astana’s vice president. 

Central Asia restart 

In related news, Air Astana has restarted its Central Asian network on 11 September, with flights from Almaty to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan 

Flights to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, are due to run on 20 September. 

The Tashkent service initially operates once a week on Thursdays, whilst the Bishkek flight will operate twice a week on Tuesdays and Sundays, an option for passengers who want to connect to Seoul via Almaty. 

The Kazakh airline said only citizens of the countries that Kazakhstan has resumed direct flights with and those who have permission granted by the Inter-Governmental Commission of Kazakhstan can enter the territory of Kazakhstan during whilst quarantine restrictions are in effect. 

For updates in health and quarantine regulations, visit here.