Turkestan Airport: Who owns it and what’s next?

Tengrinews.kz - According to the regional Department of Passenger Transport and Highways of the Turkestan Region, the Turkestan International Airport is currently in communal ownership under the regional akimat (local administration).

“At present, representatives of the akimat and the company LLP Alpha Sky are discussing the possibility and terms of transferring Turkestan International Airport into trust management,” the department stated.

If a trust management agreement is signed, the investor plans to expand the airport’s infrastructure. Planned projects include building an additional apron, aircraft parking areas, a hotel, an aircraft maintenance hangar, expanding the fueling complex (with extra fuel storage tanks), and a temporary storage warehouse.

“At the moment, the airport is unprofitable, meaning its revenues do not cover expenses. Through the transfer into trust management, it is planned to make the airport self-sustaining within three years,” the department reported.

Routes
According to the department, the airport currently serves four international destinations (Istanbul, Kuwait City, Abu Dhabi, Samarkand) and seven domestic destinations (Astana, Almaty, Aktobe, Karaganda, Kostanay, Aktau, Uralsk). Flights are operated by Turkish Airlines, Jazeera Airways, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, FlyArystan, SCAT, and Qazaq Air.
In particular, since May 1, Qazaq Air has been operating direct flights from Turkestan to Samarkand (Uzbekistan) twice a week.

“A feature of this route is that the flight originates in Astana, makes a two-hour stopover in Turkestan, and then continues to Samarkand,” the department explained.

In the meantime, official data shows the airport’s passenger flow over five months totaled 119,800 people (25,300 international, 94,500 domestic). More than 200 aircraft pass through the region’s airspace every day. The airport operates under an “open skies” regime.
Earlier, plans for the development of Almaty Airport through 2050 were revealed.