Air Astana will resume international flights between Almaty and the Chinese city of Chengdu on February 15, QazMonitor reports.
The flights will run on Wednesdays from Almaty to Chengdu and on Thursdays from Chengdu to Almaty. Passengers are asked to read the travel requirements prior to booking tickets.
The Kazakh air carrier had previously resumed travel in the Almaty–Chengdu direction last summer for the first time since the pandemic hit in 2020.
Since then, China has repeatedly opened and closed its borders to control the surge of COVID-19 cases.
On January 8, 2023, the country announced that it is lifting its strict zero-Covid policy for the last time allowing travelers to enter China without quarantine as long as they provide a negative PCR result within 48 hours before departure.
Passengers with a Kazakhstan passport traveling from Almaty are required to get a visa to enter China, while Chinese tourists are allowed entry to Kazakhstan for 14 days without a visa.