Almaty Mayor Yerbolat Dossayev and China Eastern Airlines Co., Ltd. Chairman Wang Zhiqing met in Shanghai. As a result of the talks, a memorandum was signed on facilitating the opening of direct flights between Almaty and Shanghai.
China Eastern Airlines is a Chinese state-owned airline headquartered in Shanghai. It is one of China's three largest air carriers and a member of the SkyTeam global aviation alliance. The company's fleet consists of about 780 aircraft, and the route network covers more than 1,150 destinations in 175 countries.
During the meeting, the possibility of launching a direct flight between Almaty and Shanghai was discussed. This flight will connect Almaty with one of the leading business and tourist centers in Asia - Shanghai. Active work is currently underway with the National Civil Aviation Administration of China on the necessary agreements. During the meeting, Yerbolat Dossayev noted that the partnership between Almaty and Shanghai as sister cities is strengthening. Since 2024, the cities have been actively cooperating in various areas. The announcement of 2025 as the Year of Chinese Tourism in Kazakhstan will open up new joint initiatives and additional opportunities for the development of tourism for both sides.
China remains one of the priority markets for Almaty. In 2024, about 100 thousand tourists from China arrived in Almaty, and this figure is expected to increase in the coming years. Almaty is currently connected by direct flights to Beijing, Urumqi, Xi'an, Hangzhou and Sanya, with 151 flights per month. The recognition of Almaty as a "promising new destination in 2025" by the Chinese agency Tongcheng Travel is also evidence of the growing tourist interest.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/almaty/press/news/details/941705