"It is necessary to unlock the potential of the resort areas of Katon Karagai, Zaisan and Kendirli. It is necessary to build airport complexes and airports in resort areas with high–quality road infrastructure," the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan said.
On behalf of the Head of State, construction of three new airports in the resort areas of Zaisan, Katon-Karagai and Kendirli has begun in 2025 to develop domestic tourism and passenger air transportation in the country. The implementation of these projects will give an impetus to the development of the economy of these regions, as well as contribute to the influx of both domestic and foreign tourists. These projects will create additional jobs for the local population.
At the same time, three new passenger terminals were commissioned in 2024 as part of the modernization of the air transport infrastructure to develop large hub hubs. The capacity of passenger terminals has been qualitatively increased in the cities of Almaty, Shymkent and Kyzylorda.
The new terminal of Almaty International Airport - the facility's capacity has been increased from 2.5 million to 14 million passengers per year.Domestic airlines Air Astana, SCAT, Qazaq Air, Fly Arystan operate regular flights to 19 cities of Kazakhstan. International flights are operated to 26 countries of the world on 50 routes by 30 foreign airlines.
The new Shymkent Airport terminal has a capacity from 800,000 to 6 million passengers per year. The number of international air routes has been increased to 10, and flights to 24 per week. Flights to Jeddah, Medina (KSA), Doha (Qatar), Phu Quoc (Vietnam) and Phuket (Thailand) have been opened.
Korkyt Ata International Airport in Kyzylorda - the capacity has been increased from 300,000 to 2 million passengers per year. To date, 25 domestic flights are operated from Kyzylorda.
A project is being implemented with the Kazakh-German company SKYHANSA in the Khorgos – Eastern Gate special economic zone to build a passenger terminal with a capacity of up to 500 people/hour, a fuel storage facility with a capacity of up to 550,000 tons/year, a cargo terminal with full cargo handling of up to 250,000 tons/year, and the creation of an aviation technical center for aircraft maintenance, as well as the development of tourism and shopping and entertainment services for the population with the creation of more than 300 permanent jobs.
In recent years, air transport has become more convenient and attractive for passengers. For example, air transportation in Kazakhstan is growing by 10-15% annually. In 2024, Kazakhstani airlines transported about 15 million people, airports served 30 million passengers, including foreign airlines. In addition to passenger traffic, the volume of air cargo is also growing. In 2024, the volume of cargo transportation was increased to 28 thousand tons per year.
The fleet of aircraft of domestic companies is replenished annually by 10-15 aircraft. In 2025, the number of aircraft is 102 aircraft.
To date, international flights from Kazakhstan have been established with 31 countries (Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, Oman, Egypt, Kuwait, South Korea, China, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic) on 117 routes with a frequency of 582 flights per week.
All necessary conditions have been created at the airports of Kazakhstan for citizens with special needs. Ground service personnel receive regular special training in first aid, including full support for citizens with special needs. Ambulances, wheelchairs, tactile tiles for the blind and sound navigation systems are provided.
The country's international airports provide rooms for mothers and children, currency exchange offices, postal services, and wireless Internet. A number of airlines have also implemented mobile applications to speed up the online check-in process. The entire range of services provided is aimed at improving quality and accessibility for all categories of citizens.
The growth of passenger air transportation and the expansion of the route network will increase domestic and foreign tourism, which will increase the investment attractiveness of the country's regions.
The international recognition of the aviation industry development in Kazakhstan depends on flight safety.
The level of compliance with international flight safety standards in Kazakhstan is 82%, which is the highest among the CIS countries and comparable to such European Union countries as Denmark and Poland.
These results are an indicator of the positive dynamics of aviation tourism development in Kazakhstan, which contributes to strengthening the country's economic potential and increasing its attractiveness in the international arena.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/transport/press/news/details/922146