In a world where speed has become a valuable asset, an aviation plays an important role in shaping a country’s status and visibility on the global stage. In an exclusive interview with Qazinform News Agency, Air Astana Chief Executive Officer Ibrahim Canliel spoke about the company’s ambitious plans, its goal of helping establish Kazakhstan as a major international aviation hub, and its efforts to strengthen the country’s position as a key transit center in Eurasia.
Mr. Canliel, it has been 100 days since you took over as Chief Executive Officer of Air Astana Group. What do you see as the company’s main development priorities? According to Skytrax, Air Astana has been named the best airline in the CIS for 14 consecutive years.
We currently rank 36th globally, ahead of our regional competitors, including airlines from Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. We are proud to be the leader of the region both in numbers and as the benchmark setting the standards. However, we cannot afford to be complacent.
We therefore intend not only to maintain our leadership, but also to continue growing and raising standards and serving as the region’s flagship carrier. Our goal is to establish Kazakhstan as Central Asia’s leading aviation hub. During your meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, you were given the ambitious task of transforming Air Astana into a global airline that would contribute to Kazakhstan’s transit leadership.
What other key areas have been discussed during your meeting with the President? For me, the meeting with the President represented, first and foremost, a major responsibility for our airline that has been given an important role in implementing the country’s strategy to develop its transport and transit potential.
The discussion with President Tokayev focused on the company’s operations, service standards, digitalization and the launch of new destinations, particularly direct flights to Tokyo and New York in addition to 40 routes we launched in 2025/2026. I also reported on our on-time performance.
Last month, the figure reached 88%, which was 12 percentage points higher than in June 2025. We also discussed plans to expand our route network, increase flight frequencies and develop transit traffic. Fleet expansion was another major topic. We discussed agreements signed in Brussels in July this year, including a “25+25” deal for up to 50 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft, as well as a contract for the delivery of up to 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
The Airbus A320-family aircraft currently operated by Air Astana are among the latest-generation models and consume approximately 20% less fuel. This allows us to operate flights lasting up to nine hours. The Boeing 787 will mark the next stage in the development of our fleet.
Combining superior passenger comfort, fuel efficiency and operational versatility, the aircraft will enable the efficient operation of routes of varying lengths across the network. These aircraft will be equipped with Wi-Fi, which will later also be introduced on our Airbus A321LR aircraft.
When will these aircraft arrive in Kazakhstan? The number of aircraft we have ordered is almost equal to the number we currently operate. We expect to end this year with a fleet of 67 aircraft. In other words, we have also placed orders for up to 65 additional aircraft.