Air Astana President Peter Foster flew to Kyiv to help rescue Kazakhs who are not able to leave the country amid Ukraine-Russia conflict that broke out early morning on February 24. Foster's wife, Tatyana, wrote on her Instagram page, @tatyana.foster, that her husband is currently unable to leave Ukraine.
According to Tatyana, her husband together with the airline's vice-president for ground service Alexander Neboga went to Kiev on February 23 to the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Ukraine.
After the closure of all airports on February 24, according to Tatiana Foster, it was decided to organize the departure of citizens of Kazakhstan from the city of Katowitz in Poland, where, together with a colleague, went the president of Air Astana.
"Spent three hours driving from Kiev to Lviv, their car, turning onto a bypass road, came upon a column of Russian tanks and armored vehicles moving in the direction of Kiev. 20 kilometers from Kiev. And it was only a three-hour drive from the Ukrainian capital. Peter made the decision to turn the car around and return to Kiev. At the moment he and Alexander are in the Embassy of Kazakhstan. In the basement of the embassy. There are battles for the military airport right next door."
A reminder that a repatriation flight for citizens of Kazakhstan by Air Astana is planned for 25-26 February 2022. According to the embassy, the flight will be operated from Katowice (Poland). A visa-free "green corridor" from the Ukrainian-Polish border to the airport will be provided for the citizens of Kazakhstan.