The number of passengers flying between Kazakhstan and Dubai has dramatically increased over the past 20 years, with less than 7,000 carried in 2002 and over 101,000 already carried during the first half of 2022, Qazmonitor reports with reference to Travel Daily News Asia-Pacific. A similar jump can be observed in cargo volumes, with 54,000kg being uplifted in 2002 and reaching over 730,000kg during the first half of 2022.
Kazakhstan's flagship airline, Air Astana, launched flights to Dubai in August of 2002, just a few months after its opening in May. At the time, Dubai was among its earliest international destinations. There was only one route to Dubai from Almaty operating on a biweekly basis before an additional route from then-Astana opened in 2007.
Now, Dubai has become one of the most popular travel destinations for Kazakhstan's citizens. The passenger traffic from Almaty and Nur-Sultan continues to grow yearly, says Adel Dauletbek, Vice-President of Marketing and Sales at Air Astana. "We plan to restore pre-pandemic flight frequencies from both cities later this year.”
In the coming winter season, the flight frequency to and from Dubai is scheduled to increase up to 17 flights per week by the end of 2022, with 10 services per week from Almaty and seven from Nur-Sultan.
Kazakhstan has re-established a visa-free regime for citizens of 57 countries, including the UAE, for up to 30 days to enter-exit and stay. Passengers arriving in Kazakhstan from foreign countries are not required to provide a certificate of vaccination or a PCR certificate with a negative test result for COVID-19.
